Bayern Munich’s Saibari turns substitute role into instant Bundesliga impact

Ismael Saibari made an immediate impression on his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich, providing two assists after coming off the bench in Friday’s emphatic 5-1 victory over Stuttgart.

The Morocco international entered the match in the 60th minute, replacing Nathaniel Brown, and helped energise Bayern’s closing stages after starting among the substitutes. His contribution also earned him a place in Bundesliga history.

Saibari was introduced at the same time as fellow Moroccan international Bilal El Khannouss, who came on for Stuttgart. While El Khannouss was unable to influence the result, Saibari quickly became one of the main stories of Bayern’s opening league fixture.

With eight minutes of normal time remaining, Michael Olise released Saibari towards the byline. The winger beat his opponent, kept his composure and looked up before cutting the ball back into the area.

Aleksandar Pavlovic was in position to finish the move, converting the chance to put Bayern 4-1 ahead.

Saibari continued to threaten as the match moved into stoppage time. This time, he supplied Luis Diaz, who completed the scoring with Bayern’s fifth goal.

The two assists came on Saibari’s first Bundesliga appearance, although he had already made his competitive debut for Bayern in the Super Cup the previous weekend.

His performance was notable not only for its influence on the match but also for the statistical milestone it created. Saibari became the first Bayern player since Toni Kroos on 26 September 2007 to register two assists after coming off the bench in his Bundesliga debut.

Since the collection of the relevant data began in the 2004-05 season, only five players had previously recorded two assists in their first appearance in Germany’s top flight: Luis Diaz, Robbie Kruse, Shinji Ono, Toni Kroos and Diego.

German football magazine Kicker highlighted Saibari’s contribution with the headline “Auch Joker Saibari uberzeugt” (“Saibari also impresses as a substitute”) and awarded him a rating of 1.0, the highest possible mark in the German media grading system.

Bild also underlined the immediate effect made by Bayern’s new signing during the comprehensive win.

The match was watched by Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi and his assistant Joao Sacramento, who were in Munich to assess Saibari and El Khannouss.

The timing of Saibari’s performance was particularly favourable for the Atlas Lion. He could now be given further playing time when Bayern face Osnabruck in the German Cup on 2 September, before their next Bundesliga fixture against Schalke.

Competition for places at Bayern remains intense, with the Munich club possessing a deep and highly competitive squad. However, after two assists in a short substitute appearance against Stuttgart, Saibari could hardly have made a more convincing initial case for a larger role.

The performance follows the strong start made by another Morocco international, Ayyoub Bouaddi, who impressed on his first appearance for Manchester City. Saibari has now similarly begun his adventure at one of European football’s biggest clubs in striking fashion.

By Louis Mukoma Fargues