By Our Reporter
Bayern Munich surrendered a commanding position to draw 3-3 with Norwegian side Viking in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday after Michael Olise was sent off for receiving two yellow cards within seconds.
The German champions appeared to have recovered from a disastrous first half, overturning a two-goal deficit to lead 3-2 before Olise’s dismissal allowed Viking to fight back and secure a dramatic late equaliser.
Viking took the lead just 72 seconds into the match when Gianni Stensness headed home from an outswinging corner. Peter Christiansen doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 38th minute, finishing a swift attacking move to put Bayern under pressure.
Bayern struggled to break down their opponents before the interval, with Harry Kane twice heading the ball straight at Viking goalkeeper Arild Ostbo.
However, the visitors returned from the break with renewed determination and reduced the deficit when Konrad Laimer was brought down inside the penalty area. Kane converted the resulting spot kick, guiding the ball into the bottom-right corner despite a stuttering run-up.
The England captain restored parity in the 60th minute, heading home a cross from Joshua Kimmich to make it 2-2.
Bayern then completed their comeback through Luis Diaz, who capitalised on a well-worked move involving Kane and Laimer to put the visitors ahead 3-2.
Kane’s contribution appeared to have secured victory for Bayern until Olise’s costly dismissal changed the course of the match.
The French winger received his first yellow card for a foul before being booked again for dissent after throwing the ball at Viking captain Zlatko Tripic’s face in front of the referee.
The second booking came within seconds of the first, leaving Bayern with 10 men for the closing stages. Olise’s suspension also means he will miss next week’s crucial Champions League encounter against English champions Arsenal in Munich.
Viking capitalised on their numerical advantage, pressing forward in search of an equaliser. Their persistence paid off in the 90th minute when Herman Haugen headed home at the far post to secure a memorable 3-3 draw.
Bayern manager Vincent Kompany criticised Olise’s actions, describing the dismissal as a costly mistake.
“It was our own fault,” Kompany told reporters. “This red card was super dumb. You can see in Michael’s eyes that he’s sorry about it and that he regrets letting the team down.”
Kane also expressed disappointment over the result, acknowledging that the red card had undermined Bayern’s comeback.
“It was a poor first half from us. We started the second half well and fought our way back. But the red card changed everything,” he said on Amazon Prime.
The striker added that Olise would be disappointed with his actions and would need to learn from the incident, particularly with important fixtures approaching.
Despite the frustrating result, Kane extended his scoring run to nine consecutive Champions League matches, equalling a club record previously set by former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski.
He now sits two matches behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s competition record of scoring in 11 consecutive appearances.
The draw came days after Bayern conceded the fastest goal in Bundesliga history during their 2-2 draw against Augsburg, adding to the frustration surrounding their latest defensive setback.