Champions League Player Ratings | Bayern Munich 3-1 Chelsea | OneFootball

Bayern Munich began their Champions League campaign with a repeat of the haunting 2012 final, at the Allianz Arena against Chelsea.

The English side started the brighter of the two sides, creating a couple of half-chances throughout the first 15 minutes but failing to force a save from Manuel Neuer.

Bayern’s opportunities to enter Chelsea’s half all came courtesy of Michael Olise, who soon capitalized on a quickly retaken free kick from Joshua Kimmich. Once the Frenchman isolated striker João Pedro, there was only going to be one outcome: he beat the Brazilian with ease and squared the ball across the six-yard box. Any touch would have resulted in a goal, and it duly came courtesy of Trevoh Chalobah.

Bayern quickly made it 2-0 thanks to a brilliant swivel on the ball from Harry Kane to get goal side of Moisés Caicedo inside the box, forcing a foul and Bayern’s top scorer this season made no mistake from the spot, slotting the ball past Robert Sánchez.

Chelsea would however grab a goal back almost immediately. Moises Caicedo picked out an advancing Cole Palmer, who isolated Josip Stanišić before playing a 1-2 with Malo Gusto, receiving the ball and picking out the top corner.

The second half began with Chelsea enjoying plenty of possession but doing little with it. Olise perhaps should have done better when Kane laid the ball on a plate for him from point-blank range; he shot straight at the middle of the goal, giving the stretching Sánchez a half-chance, which he gratefully took.

A second goal for Kane came through some naïve play in Chelsea’s backline. Gusto gave the ball straight to the Englishman despite not being under any real pressure, and Bayern’s forward did the rest.

With two minutes to go, Bayern’s defence was cut open by a pinpoint pass from Andrey Santos, finished off by Palmer. Thankfully for the record champions, though, Palmer’s right knee strayed millimetres offside. Other than that, Bayern saw out the second half with relative ease.

Bayern travel to Cypriot side Pafos for their next Champions League game.

Bayern Munich Player Ratings

Manuel Neuer (6) – Konrad Laimer (7), Dayot Upamecano (5), Jonathan Tah (5), Josip Stanišić (5) – Joshua Kimmich (6), Aleksandar Pavlović (5) – Michael Olise (8), Serge Gnabry (6), Luis Diaz (6) – Harry Kane (7)

Others: Min-jae Kim (7), Sacha Boey (6), Leon Goretzka (6), Tom Bischoff (-),  Nicolas Jackson (-)

GGFN Man of the Match: Michael Olise (8)

Last season’s Bundesliga Rookie of the Year winner, Olise, forced the opening goal and was a constant threat to Chelsea’s backline throughout the game.

GGFN | Harry Good