Bayern continued Bayern Munich’s tradition of winning their first UEFA Champions League game by beating Inter 2-0 at the San Siro. It would have been more comfortable if not for Nerazzurri goalkeeper Andre Onana. Bayern Munich got off to a furious start: Thomas Müller, the lone survivor of Inter’s 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the 2010 Champions League final in Madrid, forced home goalkeeper Andre Onana to parry with the finger. Leroy Sane gave Bayern Munich the lead in the 25th minute and also took part in the second goal, which Inter defender Danilo Dambrosio scored in his net in the 66th minute.
It seemed only a matter of time before Bayern Munich took the lead. It eventually did so in the 25th minute when Leroy Sane brilliantly put Joshua Kimmich’s long ball past Inter’s newcomer Andre Onana and slides into the bottom corner. Leroy Sané’s first-half goal was enough to give Germany Bundesliga team Bayern Munich the lead at half-time, which doubled shortly after the hour thanks to a beautiful combination between Sané and Kingsley Coman ended with Inter’s own goal. Sane, with Premier League table toppers City also scored a superb freekick in the UCL against his former side FC Schalke 04, which shows the calibre of the player. Inter dominated the second half and almost equalised via D’Ambrosio, but the Italian fired a hurried attempt past Manuel Neuer’s crossbar.
As the second half progressed, Bayern began to tighten the screws, with Sane and French attacker Kingsley Coman combining in the penalty area. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann claimed his squad “showed their determination” to compete following their 1-1 draw at Union Berlin last Saturday. “We scored too few goals, but we deserved to win. We played very maturely, but (the game) might have been won sooner,” he said.
Nagelsmann has been experimenting with different offensive lineups, and only Thomas Müller and Sadio Mané look to be “every day” starts. Sabitzer over Goretzka makes sense for the time being, as there is no reason to push the German back into the fold if he believes he is fully recovered. De Ligt appears superior to Upamecano at the moment; however, I think Nagelsmann will rotate the trio to keep them fresh and healthy. Bayern scored twice to seal a 2-0 victory. Still, the margin could have been considerably higher if Onana had not done well in his debut Nerazzurri start, frustrating the Bavarians on multiple occasions. Onana made ten saves in total, more than any Nerazzurri goalkeeper in the Champions League since 2003, according to the Opta football statistics website.
As per the Bundesliga schedule, Bayern will face VfB Stuttgart. Munich is currently third in the Bundesliga standings; it is a bit weird to see someone else at the top of the Bundesliga table than Munich. SC Freiburg has won four out of the five matches thanks to their striker Michael Gregoritsch who has chipped in with three goals and also stands high with other Bundesliga top scorers.
