Bayern Munich continued from where they left off before the international break when they hosted Hamburg on Saturday. The defending champions delivered an emphatic performance to clinch a 3-0 victory to ensure that they extend their 100% win record this season across all competitions.
Vincent Kompany was fortunate not to lose a single player to injury during the international break. The Belgian head coach went with his strongest starting XI, which has fared well in all four games before the international break. Nicolas Jackson has to wait a bit for his first start of the season for Bayern.
The hosts got a perfect start to the game as Serge Gnabry drilled the ball into the net from an acute angle in the third minute. Gnabry has started the season strongly with goals and assists flowing at a good rate. Konrad Laimer played a neat pass in the buildup to set up Gnabry for the shot.
Hamburg were all over the place in the first 10 minutes of the game. The home side effectively gave Hamburg a mountain to climb by scoring the second goal in the ninth minute. Harry Kane played a great return pass to Pavlovic in the box. The German midfielder hammered the ball past the goalkeeper after playing a crucial role in the buildup.
Bayern looked hungry with their pressing and passing. Kompany’s men were moving the ball quickly in the final third to create chances at a good rate. The game was well beyond the visitors in 25 minutes as the referee awarded the penalty after VAR review. Serge Gnabry played a crucial role in winning the penalty as he brought down an aerial ball with great touch at the byline, and his pass eventually made contact with the defender’s hand. Harry Kane made no mistake in converting from the spot to triple Die Roten’s lead.
Goals kept flowing for Bayern as a quick free kick from Joshua Kimmich and a fortunate deflection helped Luis Diaz score in the 29th minute. The Colombian continues his good start to life in Bavaria, scoring in his third consecutive Bundesliga game.
Hamburg players looked dejected as Bayern had effectively ended the game in 30 minutes. The remainder of the half saw the home side control the possession and create a few half-chances.
Bayern manage the game in second half to see out the result
With the Champions League starting next week, Vincent Kompany decided to give a breather to his key players and an opportunity for squad players to get game time in the second half. Nicolas Jackson came on to make his debut for Die Roten at the start of the second half.
Harry Kane made it a five-star performance for Bayern as he made it 5-0 with a powerful finish. The English forward played the ball to Michael Olise on the right flank and continued his run into the box. The French winger squared the ball to Kane at the right time. With an exquisite touch, Kane had beaten the defender in front of him before releasing a powerful shot to put the ball in the net.
Kompany made several changes post the hour mark to give game time to the likes of Tom Bischof and Lennart Karl. Despite making several changes, Die Roten ensured that Hamburg didn’t get a sniff at getting a consolation goal, and Manuel Neuer kept a clean sheet. Hamburg had just two shots on target against Die Roten in the entire game.
The Belgian coach will be pleased with the way his team performed on Saturday. The first big test for Bayern is coming in the form of a Champions League game against Chelsea on Wednesday.
Stats courtesy- Fotmob