Bayern Munich 4-0 Atletico Madrid
The reigning Kings of Europe opened their title defence with a convincing performance as Bayern Munich demolished Atletico Madrid last Wednesday night.
Kingsley Coman, who scored the marginal goal during the Champions League final against PSG 59 days ago, opened his account with a brace to help secure the victory.
Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso also scored one goal apiece in what was a dominating display from the German powerhouse.
The Bavarian giants were simply faultless in this game despite facing concerns over their tight schedule and a drop of form to some of their key players.
They are, in fact, one of the heavy favourites to win it all once more according to our Champions League 2020 odds. However, only Real Madrid and AC Milan have been able to accomplish a repeat.
Atletico Madrid entered this match as the only undefeated team in La Liga, which is why it was mind-boggling as to why they couldn’t put up a fight.
“The bad taste of the defeat will stay with me but I’ll focus on a lot of positive things and as I’m an optimist I’ll focus on the things that will make us better in the future,” said Atleti boss Diego Simeone.
With Bayern Munich sitting on top of Group A as of the moment, this leaves the door open for RB Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow for the second spot since they shared the spoils last night.
Check out last night’s set of Champions League 2020 highlights courtesy of SBOTOP.
Highlights of the game
With Serge Gnabry out due to the coronavirus and Leroy Sane nursing a minor knee injury, team boss Hansi Flick opted to put Kingsley Coman and Corentin Tolisso in the starting XI.
Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick walks with Corentin Tolisso & Kingsley Coman after their Champions League game with Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid actually got it going in the first few minutes as they generated several chances.
Their first opportunity came just three minutes in when Renan Lodi crossed the ball over to a cutting Luis Suarez, but the latter couldn’t get the touch on the ball.
After Luis Suarez drew a yellow card to David Alaba, Atletico Madrid almost scored via a free kick, but Manuel Neuer made a routine save.
Bayern Munich would buck their slow start when they would push the tempo after the first 15 minutes and they almost scored their first goal.
Corentin Tolisso found himself near the post after receiving a through ball from Kingsley Coman in the 18th minute, but his shot was parried away by Jan Oblak.
Then 10 minutes later, Bayern Munich would get in the scoring column when Joshua Kimmich’s volley found Kingsley Coman to score on a low shot that went past Jan Oblak.
Atleti would find themselves in a deep hole when they failed to clear the ball away in the 41st minute. Kingsley Coman found space in the penalty area and teed the ball to Leon Goretzka, who launched a rocket-like attempt to double their lead before halftime.
Joao Felix would answer back by finding the back of the net minutes after the restart, but his sharp shot after a well-taken volley was not counted because the VAR deemed his teammate Luis Suarez offside.
Corentin Tolisso broke the game wide open in the 66th minute when he caught a deflected clearance and launched a vicious strike past Jan Oblak from long distance.
Kingsley Coman would cap off Bayern’s night with a brace when he whizzed past multiple Atleti defenders for an easy score in the 72nd minute.
Key statistics
Bayern Munich were simply brilliant on the attacking front as they’ve compiled 16 total shots with five of them on target. They also had the edge in the possessions at 59-per cent.
Last night marked Manuel Neuer’s 200th clean sheet for Bayern Munich.
Lucas Hernandez played against his former team for the first time. The left-back previously played more than 100 games for Atletico Madrid and he helped them win the Europa League title and UEFA Super Cup before.
Hansi Flick’s men have won 12 straight Champions League games already – which is the longest run ever in tournament history.
The Bavarians still lead in their overall head-to-heads against Atletico Madrid with three wins, two losses, and one draw.
What’s next?
Bayern Munich will host Eintracht Frankfurt next in the Bundesliga this weekend then they will fly over to Russia to visit Lokomotiv Moscow in their next Champions League fixture.
Atletico Madrid continue their La Liga campaign against Real Betis on Sunday before hosting RB Salzburg on Wednesday.
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The post Champions League: Bayern Munich Kickstart Their Title Defence With a Bang appeared first on SBOTOP.