In the opening match of the inaugural “league phase” of the Champions League, Bayern Munich buried Dinamo Zagreb with an explosive 9-2 demolition. Harry Kane scored a hat-trick on penalty kicks alone and added another tap in off a rebound. Even Leon Goretzka climbed out of the dog house to deliver a powerful header to close out the match.
After a dominating first half, Bayern temporarily allowed Dinamo Zagreb to get back into the game with consecutive goals. The Bavarians recovered and turned on the afterburners as the offense ruthlessly delivered six second half goals.
Bayern’s relentless attack is reminiscent of the 2020 campaign under Hansi Flick that resulted in the sextuplet of titles — including the Champions League. There appears to be no limit to this team’s ceiling.
Jersey Swap: Bruno Petković
Petković opened the scoring line for Dinamo Zagreb in the 48th minute, but it was an otherwise embarrassing performance for the rest of the squad. Petković also won six out of nine ground duels and seven out of nine aerial duels.
Der Kaiser: Raphaël Guerreiro
With injuries to Josip Stanišić and Sacha Boey, Guerreiro stepped into the right-back position beautifully. Guerreiro was tasked with filling the attacking half space between Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise, plus tracking back to cover the random bursts forward by Takuya Ogiwara. Guerreiro cleaned up a lot of close calls in the box that should have been handled by Dayot Upamecano and Min-jae Kim.
In the 33rd minute, Guerreiro ripped a half volley from the top of the box into the top corner, leaving Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper Ivan Nevistić stuck in the mud.
Fußballgott: Aleksandar Pavlović
Kimmich had a great game and two assists to boot, but Pavlović covered a lot of ground and controlled the center of the pitch from start to finish. Pavlović successfully completed 100 out of 103 passes, often leading the wingers into dangerous attacking positions. Pavlović’s endless hustle has invigorated the rest of Bayern’s midfield and will serve as a beacon when things aren’t going Bayern’s way.
Der Bomber: Michael Olise
Before Olise scored his first career Champions League goal, he was already giving the Dinamo Zagreb defense fits with his stop-and-go dribbling. The constant change in tempo kept the opposition on the back foot and forced the back five to stay in the defensive shell.
Moving forward, Olise’s unpredictable attacking style will be difficult for managers to scheme against from a tactical perspective. Bonus credit to Bayern’s management team for identifying Olise and signing him before the Olympics.
Meister of the Match: Jamal Musiala
Musiala was by far the best player on the pitch. The assists to Guerreiro and Olise were absolutely sublime. His movement in the second half was unmatched as he zigzagged all over the pitch.
Sure, Harry Kane scored a poacher’s quad with three penalty kick conversions, which is unique in its own right. But that singular stat fails to reflect Kane’s lack of influence on the overall game. (Bonus stat: Kane has now scored more Champions League goals (33) than any other Englishman.)
After Dinamo Zagreb stormed back with two quick goals to open the second half, it was Musiala who more than anyone put the team on his back and willed Bayern to victory. He has been a man on a mission all season and tonight was no different.
