World Champions make the difference: Thomas Müller’s brace and a Mario Götze goal saw FC Bayern München seal a 3-0 win in their opening fixture in Group F of the Champions League against Olympiacos on Wednesday evening.
It was the twelfth successive opening win in the competition and the first step on the long road to the final on 28th May 2016 in Milan, where Pep Guardiola will be hoping to bring Europe’s biggest prize back to Munich on his third attempt. Müller scored his 28th Champions League goal, lobbing Olympiacos keeper from the wide right position.
Bayern switched on from the start
"We won’t underestimate them ", Philipp Lahm had said ahead of the game at the Karaiskakis Stadium in front of 33,000 fans in Piräus– and Bayern kept their word. They put on a concentrated and workman-like performance.
The hosts had won their previous six home matches in the competition, including against opponents such as Manchester United, Atlético Madrid and Juventus. They also beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 there in 2011. But Munich, unbeaten in seven matches against Greek opposition, refused to be the next victims.
Müller lobs goalkeeper Roberto
They attacked bravely, though their efforts were often halted before they became a threat. Douglas Costa was unable to penetrate down the left against former Braunschweig defender Omar Elabdellaoui. Müller had much more luck down the right as his looping cross flew into the top-left corner to make it 1-0. He almost added another 15 minutes later in the 67th, but was unable on this occasion.
Robert Lewandowski had the best chances in the first half: first, his headed effort was cleared off the line by Olympiacos striker Ideye Brown, before his later strike was kept out by the flailing leg of goalkeeper Roberto.
Late goals finish off the Greeks
Despite a dominant performance by Bayern, the hosts had their chances to cause an upset. Manuel Neuer, however, was typically reliable whenever called into action, as he parried Ideye's 25-yard shot over the bar for a corner. Substitute Götze appeared to have scored the winner in the 89th, after an assist from new signing Kingsley Coman, but a Müller penalty in added time made it three.
