On the first matchday of the Champions League season, FC Bayern secured a 5-0 home win against Bodo/Glimt. Of all people, it was Jamal Musiala who put Munich on the path to victory.
Bayern struggled for a long time against a tightly organized Bodo/Glimt defense, even though coach Vincent Kompany fielded his full squad, including Jamal Musiala. Until shortly before halftime, Bayern had hardly any noteworthy scoring chances. Although the Munich team always seemed to be trying, their performance was reminiscent of their match last Saturday at Schalke.
The second half went much better, with Jamal Musiala opening the scoring to make it 1-0. Shortly afterward, Harry Kane headed in to make it 2-0, before Alphonso Davies added another and Michael Olise sealed the 5-0 final score with two spectacular finishes.
A tough first half
Bodo coach Kjetil Knutsen provided the first surprise of the evening with his team’s tactical setup. His team, which usually plays with a back four, defended with a back five for the first time.
Things still got dangerous as early as the 5th minute: A cross from Joshua Kimmich landed in the center of the five-meter box, but Jamal Musiala and Luis Díaz got in each other’s way.
Bayern subsequently put their opponents under increasing pressure. After nine minutes, the home team’s possession was over 80 percent. Harry Kane had the first real shot on goal after ten minutes, but his long-range effort posed no problem for Nikita Haikin.
As the game progressed, the visitors found their rhythm a bit better, which created space for Munich to launch counterattacks. Díaz squandered a good opportunity when he fumbled the ball from a promising position about 40 meters in front of the goal.
Overall, despite clearly controlling the game, the record champions struggled to create dangerous chances. A long-range shot by Kimmich, which ricocheted off the right post in the 35th minute, reignited Munich’s offensive play.
Just five minutes later, Musiala powered his way to the edge of the penalty area and forced Haikin into a brilliant save with his shot. The next big chance came in the 44th minute: After a chip cross from Alphonso Davies, Kimmich was completely unmarked for a volley but was also denied by the Bodo goalkeeper.
Haikin was injured during the play and had to be substituted at halftime. Julian Faye Lund came on in his place.
Musiala sets up Bayern’s home win
Although Bayern had struggled to create scoring chances in the first half, they found the back of the net just seconds after the restart. Of all people, it was Musiala—who had been through so much in recent weeks and months—who scored without hesitation to give Bayern a 1-0 lead. A deflected shot by Kane fell right at the feet of the exceptional talent, who then fired the ball with total conviction into the top left corner.
In the 58th minute, the score nearly became 2-0: Laimer had plenty of space on the right side of the field and delicately sent the ball toward the far post. Kane came flying in, but from close range, he sent the ball just wide of the goal.
But Kane’s goal wasn’t long in coming. In the 61st minute, Olise cut into the box from the right flank and delivered a silky-smooth cross into the five-meter box, where the captain of the English national team headed the ball home to make it 2-0.
After that, Bayern shifted down a gear or two, without, however, losing control or their hunger for goals. In the 77th minute, the net rippled once more. Alphonso Davies hammered a deflected corner from the edge of the penalty area into the lower right corner with a drop kick to make it 3–0.
But that wasn’t the end of it, as Olise also got his name on the scoresheet in the 83rd minute. After Jamal Musiala was substituted, he took over the number 10 position in the closing stages and, from there, fired a stunning shot into the top left corner to make it 4-0.
Frustrating for Bodo/Glimt: After a strong performance—especially in the first half—Odin Björtuft was sent off with a straight red card in the 87th minute for a professional foul.
The result: In the second minute of stoppage time, Olise intercepted a misplaced pass from the visitors and scored from about 16 meters out to make it 5-0.