Bayern Munich Makes History In 9-2 Champions League Win Over Zagreb

It is a victory of historic proportions. On Tuesday, Bayern Munich beat Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 to open its Champions League campaign at a sold-out Allianz Arena. Harry Kane (19’ pen., 57’, 73’ pen., and 78’ pen.), Raphaël Guerreiro (33’), Michael Olise (33’ and 61’), Leroy Sané (85’) and Leon Goretzka (90’) scored for Bayern. Bruno Petkovic (49’) and Takuya Ogiwara (50’) scored for Dinamo Zagreb.

The two Dinamo Zagreb goals right after halftime were perhaps the only matter of concern for Bayern Munich on what was otherwise a perfect evening. At halftime, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had to come off with an injury, and with his replacement Sven Ulreich on, Bayern’s defense experienced five minutes of madness in which Zagreb threatened to come back into this match.

“We still need to work on that,” Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany said to German television after the game when asked about the two quick goals after halftime. “But we stayed calm and immediately created three big chances. The mentality was there.”

Seven minutes after Zagreb made it 3-2, Bayern Munich restored the two-goal lead thanks to a beautiful strike by Kane. Four minutes later, the old balance was restored when Olise scored his second of the evening.

“In the end, it’s about the three points, the nine goals we scored, and the fact we won,” Kompany said. The energy was good; the players enjoyed themselves on the pitch. We conceded twice because we were a step too late as a team, but we showed a reaction, and it was a good evening for us.”

That’s perhaps a bit of an understatement. In fact, Bayern broke several records on Tuesday. The Munich-based club became the first team in the Champions League era to score nine goals in a single game. The 11 goals scored by both teams also mark the most goals in a single match since Dortmund’s 8-4 win over Legia Warsaw all the way back in the 2016/17 season.

Those are just the club records. Bayern star Kane scored four times, surpassing Wayne Rooney as the English player with the most goals in Champions League history. Kane has now scored 33 goals in the competition, and his four goals tonight mean he is already halfway to his eight-goal tally from last season.

“Whenever you’re in a conversation with Wayne Rooney, it means you’re doing something well,” Kane said to UEFA after the match. “He’s one of the greatest English players and one of the best players there was in the game. It’s a nice achievement.”

With all that in mind, what can we take away from another glorious Champions League evening at the Allianz Arena? First and foremost, scoring nine goals against any opponent is very impressive. But Kompany will, without a doubt, look at those five minutes of madness after halftime with some concern as a more qualified opponent might have capitalized.

In fact, we still don’t truly know where this Bayern team is after five wins across all competitions to start the season. Overall, Kompany’s team hasn’t been challenged yet this season. The last two games against Holstein Kiel and Dinamo Zagreb, in particular, will be a long way off from the opponents Bayern will face in the coming weeks.

With that in mind, Bayern Munich’s first real test will come on matchday 5 in the Bundesliga when it faces Leverkusen. In the Champions League, Aston Villa will be a far more significant challenge than Zagreb.

In other words, we will have to see where Bayern is truly at. But there are also several positives. Both Jamal Musiala and Aleksandar Pavlovic had outstanding games. The attacking and central midfielder controlled the game and looked like Bayern’s future for years to come. Indeed, Musiala made yet another argument for a big contract renewal.

Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives by a significant margin. Ultimately, Kompany has ensured that his new club has made the most of what has been, at least on paper, an easy start for his club this season.