Powered by a Harry Kane quadruple, Bayern Munich got off to a perfect start in the new-look Champions League with a 9-2 sweep of Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night at the Allianz Arena.
“Four goals, it was a really great night,” the English striker said on DAZN Germany: “Scoring three penalties, that’s never happened to me before.”
For the European debut of Belgian Vincent Kompany on the Bayern Munich bench, the Bavarians offered an offensive festival with four goals from Kane (19th, 57th, 73rd, 78th), a double from French recruit Michael Olise (38th, 61st) and goals from Raphaël Guerreiro (33rd), Leroy Sané (85th) and Leon Goretzka (90th+2).
After a season without a title, a first since 2011, Bayern intends to regain its status as a winning machine and is doing everything to do so at the start of the season. Leader of the Bundesliga after three victories in three days, the Germans also take the lead in this Champions League in the form of a 36-team championship thanks to goal difference.
The semi-finalist of the last edition still trembled when, at the start of the second period, Dinamo Zagreb scored two goals in two minutes through Petkovic and Ogiwara (48th, 50th) to come back to 3-2. But Kompany’s players quickly resumed their forward run.
Harry Kane scored three of his four goals from penalties, but for the spectacle we will rather remember Guerreiro’s superb half-volley from a pass from Jamal Musiala’s chest, Sané’s curling shot or Goretzka’s diving header.
The score could have been even higher for the Croatians, who saw the referee logically disallow two other Bavarian goals for offside positions.
The shadow on the board for Bayern came from the exit at half-time of goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer, perhaps after his heavy fall at the start of the match after his acrobatic exit in midfield. He was replaced by Scen Ulreich, who therefore conceded two goals in quick succession. Ultimately anecdotal.
The 22-year-old new French international Michael Olise, who arrived in Bavaria from Crystal Palace, is the first French player to score two goals in his very first Champions League match since a certain Thierry Henry in 1997, according to Opta. Henry, coach during the Olympics of the French Espoirs, with whom Olise finished Olympic runner-up.
Bayern were without their other French recruit, defender Sacha Boey, who was out for several weeks due to a torn meniscus in his left knee that occurred in training on Sunday and for which he underwent surgery.
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