Champions Bayern off to winning start against Wolfsburg

Champions Bayern Munich got their season off to a bright start with a 2-1 win over Wolfsburg thanks to goals from Thomas Mueller and Arjen Robben.

And their margin of victory could have been even more extensive had substitute Sebastian Rode's 83rd-minute effort not been ruled out for offside.

Mueller opened the scoring shortly before half-time, capitalising on Robben's hard work and mazy run by flicking home.

Robben got one of his own just after the break, scything through all Wolfsburg opposition, playing some cute passes with his team-mates before Robert Lewandowski played him in to lash home into the bottom-left corner.

But Ivica Olic shook Bayern five minutes later, completely out of the blue, pouncing on a throw-in, turning, and powering past Manuel Neuer. The goalkeeper seemed enraged, and on a repeat viewing it became evident that he felt the Wolfsburg player had committed a handball in the process of scoring.

If Wolfsburg should not have had that goal, they certainly should have had one courtesy of Junior Malanda in the 79th minute. His initial shot was saved by Manuel Neuer, but he should certainly have tapped the rebound home from extremely close range. Instead, he slotted it wide, and fell to his knees in ignominy.

1' KICK-OFF! The Bundesliga is under way.

28' OFFSIDE! The ball's finally in the net after Alaba plays Robben in, who squares it to Lewandowski - but the Dutchman was offside and it doesn't count.

37' GOAL! Bayern 1-0 Wolfsburg: Finally! Mueller is claiming the final touch, but the hard work was done by the mazy and powerful run of Arjen Robben.

47' GOAL! Bayern 2-0 Wolfsburg: What a cracking goal from Arjen Robben. He picks the ball up in midfield, plays some cute passes, gets the ball back from Lewandowski and lashes it home past Grun.

52' GOAL! Bayern 2-1 Wolfsburg: Olic absolutely powers it home, doing all the work himself from a throw-in, turning and rocketing it over the head and hands of Neuer.

79' SHOCKER! Oh my GOODNESS. Malanda misses a hideous chance - he's in on goal thanks to Arnold, Neuer meets him, and when he follows up the rebound, with nobody near him, it's miles wide.

83' NO GOAL! Substitude Rode finishes with class thanks to another great ball in from Robben, but it's ruled out for offside - presumably Mueller, who's hovering.

Wolfsburg's Ivica Olic has scored in each of his last four Bundesliga away matches - and has now played in 200 league games.

Teenage Bayern debutant Gianluca Gaudino - the fourth-youngest man who has ever played for the side - ran over 10km during the match.

Holger Badstuber returned to the Bayern side after 629 days and two cruciate ligament ruptures.

What with disallowed goals and goals that should have been disallowed, plus one inexplicable miss, the result was probably a fair one - but Bayern fans might have a few questions to ask about the performance of Lewandowski, who fluffed all the chances created for him by the deft work of Robben.

Arjen Robben (Bayern) – lively, sharp, and at the centre of everything decent from Bayern.

Bayern Munich: Neuer 7, Dante 7, Lewandowski 5, Robben 9, Gaudino 8, Bernat 8, Gotze 7, Lahm 8, Mueller 7, Alaba 8, Badstuber 7. Subs: Reina, Shaquiri 7, Pizarro, Scholl, Rode 7, Hojbjerg 7, Green.

Wolfsburg: Grun 8, Jung 7, Naldo 7, Knoche 7, Rodriguez 8, Luiz Gustavo 7, Guilavogel 7, De Bruyne 8, Hunt 6, Vieirinha 7, Olic 8. Subs: Drewes, Schafer, Klose, Caligiuri 7, Dost, Malanda 4, Arnold 6.