Werder Bremen 0-4 Bayern Munich: Defending champions kick off campaign with win as Harry Kane scores on league debut
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Updated 19/08/2023 at 09:34 GMT
All eyes were on Harry Kane as the £100m man made his league debut for Bayern Munich and the England striker didn’t disappoint with a goal and an assist. Leroy Sane opened the scoring after latching on to Kane’s pass early on before the ex-Spurs man doubled the lead in the second half. Sane and Mathys Tel then scored late to seal a solid opening day win for Bayern.
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Bayern Munich made a winning start in their Bundesliga opener against Werder Bremen, a brace from Leroy Sane, a first goal from Harry Kane and a late strike from Mathys Tel giving them a 4-0 victory at the Weserstadion.
Having endured a disappointing debut in the DFL-Supercup, Kane made his Bundesliga bow and, within five minutes, had his first assist for his new club. After some nimble midfield play from Jamal Musiala, the England forward flicked a ball in behind for Leroy Sane who, exploiting lax defending from the hosts, went through one-on-one and slipped a shot beneath the onrushing Jiri Pavlenka.
That was as good as it got for Bayern in the first half despite a dominant display. They went in at the break having amassed 76 per cent possession and taken 11 shots to Werder’s one, but long-range efforts from Musiala, Noussair Mazraoui and Leon Goretzka were the closest they came to extending their lead.
Werder burst out of the blocks after the restart, Mitchell Weiser, Leonardo Bittencourt and Niclas Fullkrug squandering chances in quick succession. Bayern responded through Kingsley Coman, who turned on his heel on the edge of the area before curling in a shot which ricocheted away off the base of the post.
Kane settled it with a quarter of an hour to go, gathering a simple pass from Alphonso Davies before finding the bottom corner to make it 2-0. That rounded off an excellent all-round performance from Bayern’s £100m signing, with Sane and Tel adding gloss to the scoreline late on.
TALKING POINT
Kane shows his true value. While he can be satisfied with a goal and assist on his league debut for Bayern, Kane’s contribution went much deeper.
As Werder looked to hit back on the counter-attack in the first half, he regularly popped up in Bayern’s box to head away crosses and chip in defensively. When he struggled for space and service, he dropped deep to link up the attack. There were glimmers of promise in his nascent partnership with Sane and Coman, Kane providing the pivot in the middle as Bayern’s wide men roared forwards on either side of him. If he needed a bedding-in period in Germany, it lasted under a week.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich). While Sane deserves plaudits for two well-taken goals, nobody did more than Kane to secure the win.
After missing out on his first silverware as Bayern let the DFL-Supercup slip through their fingers, this was the best response he could have given.
PLAYER RATINGS
Werder Bremen: Pavlenka 6, Pieper 5, Veljkovic 5, Freidl 6, Weiser 6, Lynen 5, Jung 5, Stage 5, Bittencourt 6, Fullkrug 7, Ducksch 5
Subs: Burke 4, Gross 4, Schmid 4, Kownacki N/A, Opitz N/A
Bayern Munich: Ulreich 7, Mazraoui 7, Upamecano 6, Kim 6, Davies 8, Kimmich 6, Goretzka 6, Sane 8, Musiala 8, Coman 7, Kane 9
Subs: De Ligt 6, Laimer 5, Choupo-Moting 6, Muller 7, Tel 7
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
4’ GOAL! Musiala wins a loose ball in midfield, setting off a Bayern counter-attack. Kane flicks the ball in behind for Sane, who bursts through a huge hole in Werder’s defence before slotting low under Pavlenka for the first goal of the new Bundesliga campaign.
8’ NO GOAL! Fullkrug wins a clever free kick from Dayot Upamecano to the left of the area. Marvin Ducksch steps up and whips in a delivery, setting up Fullkrug to power a belting header past Sven Ulreich. Unfortunately for him, the offside flag goes up. A VAR check confirms that Fullkrug was in an offside position.
58’ OFF THE UPRIGHT! Coman turns on the edge of the box and curls in a shot which hits the base of the far post and spins away.
74’ GOAL! And there we have it. Davies makes a driving run down the left and plays a tidy ball through to Kane in the centre, who sweeps a shot into the bottom corner.
90’ GOAL! That settles it. Sane polishes the scoreline late on, finishing off a neat passing move from close range.
90+4’ GOAL! A 4-0 defeat feels harsh on Werder, but their defence has gone to pieces. Tel burnishes Bayern’s win, smashing a shot past Pavlenka from just inside the box.
KEY STATS
- According to Opta, Kane is the second English player to score a goal on his Bundesliga debut after Reiss Nelson for Hoffenheim.
- Having come on late in the game, providing the assist for Sane’s second goal, Thomas Muller has now appeared in 16 different Bundesliga seasons for Bayern. He is the first player to reach that milestone in the club’s history.
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