Despite beating Hoffenheim 3-1 in their season-opener, Steve Nicol didn't think much of the overall performance from Bayern Munich.
MUNICH -- Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac said Kingsley Coman's ankle injury "doesn't look good" as the France international had to be helped from the pitch just before half-time in the German champions' 3-1 win over Hoffenheim.
Bayern, chasing an unprecedented seventh league title on the spin, had to work hard to overcome Julian Nagelsmann's tricky Hoffenheim side on Friday.
Thomas Muller headed the champions in front midway through the first half, but Adam Szalai drove in an unstoppable equaliser ten minutes after half-time past a helpless Manuel Neuer.
In a game marred by VAR controversy, Bayern needed a twice-taken Robert Lewandowski penalty and an Arjen Robben volley to seal the three points.
However, the win was spoilt by Coman suffering a reoccurrence of a left ankle injury following a tackle by Nico Schulz -- six months to the day that the former PSG and Juventus winger picked up the injury in February's goalless draw against Hertha Berlin.
"It doesn't look good," Kovac told his first postmatch news conference as Bayern coach. "I don't want to pre-empt the results of a scan but he is in severe pain. He'll have a scan tonight, I hope it isn't too serious."
Coman's previous injury ruled him out until May and placed his World Cup hopes in serious jeopardy. He did manage to make his Bayern comeback before the end of the season under Jupp Heynckes but, ultimately failed to make the France World Cup squad.
Meanwhile, defender Joshua Kimmich was more emotional after the game about his teammate's injury.
"I almost had a tear in my eye when I saw Kingsley lying on the floor," he told reporters.
Coman was later spotted leaving Doctor Muller-Wohlfahrt's practice in downtown Munich on crutches. The exact diagnosis is expected on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Robben told reporters after the game that he was "upset" at being left on the bench. Kovac said the veteran winger had taken his demotion "very well", before replacing Coman on the stroke of half time.
"Of course, I could see the disappointment etched in his face, he has been working exceptionally hard during our seven weeks of preseason training. But he had the power in second half to score the goal and settle the game," Kovac said.
Comments
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.
Source: espn.co.uk