Bayern München back on top as Upamecano steals the show in Freiburg

Dayot Upamecano was the standout in Bayern München's 3-1 win at SC Freiburg, and the result took the champions back to the top of the Bundesliga. He scored in the 16th minute after a solo run, then helped set the tone in a match where Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry also delivered. Bayern did it without seven players and without Vincent Kompany on the touchline.

Upamecano's influence

Upamecano's display was the one that stood out most. He was Bayern's top-rated player at 7.83, but the rating only tells part of it. The goal came early, from a carry that gave Bayern instant control, and his defending held up through a game that got tense again late on.

Olise was just as important in a different way. He scored Bayern's third in the 90th minute plus 5 and had already assisted Upamecano's opener, which made him the highest-rated player on the pitch at 9. Gnabry added the second in the 42nd minute, giving Bayern a cushion before Tom Bischof's own goal in the 82nd minute briefly tightened things.

Injury problems and the title race

The win mattered because Bayern were so thin going into it. They were without seven players, and Max Eberl said Kompany's absence is a matter of weeks, not days. Jonathan Tah summed up the mood after the game, saying: "It was absolutely not an easy situation."

Tah also said it was "very important to stick together and come even closer together as a team, as a club." That showed in the performance. Bayern moved back ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference, with both teams on 17 points, while Freiburg stay on 13.

Jonas Urbig made five saves to help Bayern finish the job, and the away win extended their unbeaten Bundesliga start to four wins and two draws after six matches. The cleanest takeaway is simple enough: Bayern are still coping with absences, but the result in SC Freiburg vs Bayern München was enough to restore first place.