Bayern Munich 3-3 Viking FK was the extraordinary final score on Tuesday night, as Norwegian champions Viking produced one of the biggest results in their history, fighting back from a two-goal deficit — and seeing Bayern reduced to ten men — to snatch a dramatic late equalizer in Stavanger.
Viking, who were playing in Europe’s top competition for the first time since 1992-93 and were in Norway’s second tier as recently as 2018, twice came from behind to hold the six-time European champions, denying Vincent Kompany’s side what the underlying numbers suggest should have been a comfortable win.
Viking Stun the Visitors
The hosts could not have dreamed of a better start. Just 71 seconds in, Gianni Stensness rose highest to head home a Zlatko Tripić corner, giving Viking a shock early lead.
They doubled their advantage in the 38th minute when Peter Christiansen superbly slotted past Jonas Urbig on the counterattack, sending the sides in at halftime with Viking 2-0 up and the home crowd in disbelief.
Bayern’s Fightback — and a Red Card
Bayern responded strongly after the break. Harry Kane pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 54th minute, then leveled the score six minutes later with a header from a Joshua Kimmich cross to make it 2-2.
In the 71st minute, Luis Díaz completed the turnaround, finishing from close range after a move involving Kane and Konrad Laimer to put Bayern 3-2 ahead for the first time in the match.
But the game swung again almost immediately. Around the 73rd minute, Michael Olise was shown a straight red card for two yellow cards in quick succession — including throwing the ball in a Viking player’s face — leaving Bayern to see out the final 17 minutes with ten men.
Viking made the extra man count. Substitute Herman Haugen, who had come on and already looked lively, headed home another Tripić cross in the 90th minute to complete a stunning 3-3 comeback and snatch a dramatic point.
The Numbers Tell a Damning Story for Bayern
Despite the result, the underlying statistics make for uncomfortable reading for Kompany’s side. Bayern dominated possession (66% to Viking’s 34%) and territory, registering 25 shots to Viking’s 8, with 51 touches in the opposition box compared to Viking’s 14, and three big chances created to Viking’s two. Bayern also completed 498 passes at 88% accuracy, against Viking’s 210 at 74%, and won 15 corners to Viking’s seven.
The expected-goals figures are the starkest indicator of all: Bayern generated 3.51 xG to Viking’s 0.56. Yet Viking scored three goals from just eight shots, making their limited chances count when it mattered most, while Bayern’s superiority never translated into the scoreline.
Kane Closes in on Champions League History
Kane’s brace means he now has 36 goals in 40 Champions League appearances since turning 30 — one ahead of Lionel Messi’s record of 35 goals scored in his thirties. The 33-year-old has also now scored in nine consecutive Champions League matches, a run matched only by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robert Lewandowski, with only Cristiano Ronaldo’s 11-game streak standing ahead of him.
Viking’s Remarkable Rise
For Viking, the result is the latest milestone in a remarkable turnaround. Relegated from Norway’s top flight in 2017, the club — playing on an artificial pitch in Stavanger — rebuilt under English manager Ian Burchnall, winning the second-tier title at the first attempt under club legend Bjarne Berntsen, who added a domestic cup win in 2019 before being surprisingly sacked after a sixth-place finish in the Covid-interrupted 2020 season.
His assistants, Morten Jensen and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim, took over and guided the club to third-place finishes in 2021 and 2024 before winning last season’s Norwegian title — the club’s ninth overall, but their first in 34 years. Viking are currently joint top of the Norwegian league with Bodø/Glimt, with eight games remaining.
To reach this season’s Champions League league phase, Viking were eliminated from the Europa Conference League by Turkish side İstanbul Başakşehir before overcoming Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb in qualifying. Their only previous Champions League appearance came in 1992-93, when they lost 1-0 on aggregate to Barcelona in the first round, while their lone European Cup victory in the old top-flight format came against Czech side Baník Ostrava in 1976-77. Perhaps their most famous European night remains a 4-2 win over Chelsea in the 2002 UEFA Cup first round, which secured a 5-4 aggregate victory.
Viking captain Zlatko Tripić told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 after the match: “I could have played another 90 minutes. I’m so incredibly proud. I’ve waited 34 years for this. We’re playing against some of the best players in the world, yet we still managed to take a 2-0 lead. I think we played an incredibly solid match. We used everything we had. We’ve gained a bit of European experience. I’m just so unbelievably happy.”
What’s Next
The draw leaves Bayern with four points from two Champions League matches, while Viking collected a memorable point in their debut league-phase campaign. Bayern host Arsenal on October 21, without the suspended Olise, while Viking travel to Aston Villa the same night before a home game against fellow competition debutants Sabah and further fixtures against Atlético Madrid, Feyenoord, PSV and Napoli.
For Kompany, the challenge now is converting dominant performances into results — in the Champions League, wasted chances can prove just as costly as defensive mistakes.
