The new campaign couldn’t have started any better for Vincent Kompany and Bayern Munich. After winning the Franz Beckenbauer Cup against VfB Stuttgart last weekend, Bayern started their Bundesliga title defense with a commanding 6-0 win against RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on Friday.
Kompany went with the same starting XI that started in the Supercup against Stuttgart. Bayern’s strongest team can certainly beat any team in the world, but the Belgian would certainly want some depth to compete on all fronts.
The hosts started the game strongly by dominating the possession. They had pinned the visitors in their half. The first big chance fell at the feet of Konrad Laimer. Harry Kane played a precise aerial pass to find the run of the Austrian defender on the right flank. Peter Gulacsi made a brilliant save to palm away Laimer’s ferocious shot.
Kane came close to opening the scoring in the 25th minute as his strike was just away from the target after Joshua Kimmich had found his run with a neat, clipped pass. A minute later, Bayern broke the deadlock through Michael Olise. After some neat and incisive link-up play in the midfield, Serge Gnabry drove towards the edge of the box to find Josip Stanisic on the right flank. The Croatian couldn’t control the ball, and it somehow landed in the path of Michael Olise, who was far on the right flank. The French winger hammered the ball past Gulacsi to open the scoring.
The floodgates were open as Bayern scored their second five minutes later. Kane, Gnabry, and Luis Diaz linked up well to create this opportunity. Gnabry flicked the ball in the path of Diaz, giving the Colombian a perfect chance to score his maiden Bundesliga goal. It was an emphatic finish as the ball went into the goal after it struck the woodwork.
Gnabry came close to scoring as his ferocious strike from outside the box was deflected onto the frame of the goal by an RB Leipzig defender. The German forward was thriving in the number ten position and linking up well with Michael Olise, who was stationed on the right flank. The duo combined before the half-time whistle to triple Die Roten’s lead. Gnabry found the run of Olise with a clever return pass in the box. The French winger managed to beat the keeper on the near post after scoring his first goal by curling at the far post.
Harry Kane starts new Bundesliga season with a bang
The second half was dominated by Harry Kane for Bayern Munich. The English forward created a big chance straightaway for Olise, but the French forward was inches away from tapping the ball in the box. At the hour mark, a swift counterattack initiated by Laimer helped Kane to get his first Bundesliga goal of the season. Diaz played a neat reverse pass to find the run of Kane. The England international calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper.
Antonio Nusa had the ball in the back of the net with a thunderous strike, but the goal was ruled out after the free kick in the buildup of the move was not taken correctly. Vincent Kompany made a flurry of changes as the three points were in the bag for Bayern.
Diaz and Kane combined again in the 73rd minute to make it 5-0 for the home side. The Colombian nonchalantly flicked the ball in the path of Kane, who was positioned on the edge of the box. The England forward showed his finishing prowess by hammering the ball past the goalkeeper from this position.
Kane completed a hat-trick with another swift counterattack by Die Roten. Kim Min-jae intercepted the ball at the halfway line and carried it into the final third. The South Korean slipped the ball to Kane, who made an overlapping run on the left side of the box. Kane took a touch and hammered the ball past Gulacsi. All three goals for Kane were from the same side of the box.
Die Roten dominated the game and had the scoreline to show for it. The pressing was accurate and aggressive. The form of the front four will please Kompany. It was a statement performance, sending the warning signs to all their rivals in Germany.