Bayern Begin Bundesliga Title Defence With 5-1 Win Over Stuttgart

Bayern Munich launched their Bundesliga title defence in emphatic fashion on Friday, thrashing Stuttgart 5-1 at the Allianz Arena.

The Bavarians took control of the opening-day encounter with a commanding second-half performance after Stuttgart briefly threatened to upset Vincent Kompany’s side.

Dayot Upamecano opened the scoring in the 21st minute, rising to meet a Joshua Kimmich corner before directing a clever header across goal and into the net.

Bayern went into the break with a 1-0 advantage, but Stuttgart hit back seven minutes after the restart when Josha Vagnoman fired home to level the contest.

The visitors’ joy was short-lived as Michael Olise restored Bayern’s lead in the 55th minute, finishing calmly after being picked out by Kimmich.

Vagnoman then endured a difficult spell as he turned Alphonso Davies’ cross into his own net two minutes later, handing Bayern a two-goal cushion.

Read also:

Bayern continued to press for more, with Olise having another effort ruled out by VAR for offside after finding the net from a Harry Kane pass.

Aleksandar Pavlovic made it 4-1 in the 82nd minute, tapping home after an unselfish piece of play from substitute Ismael Saibari.

Saibari, who joined Bayern from PSV Eindhoven during the summer, was again involved in the closing stages as he set up Luis Diaz for the fifth goal in stoppage time.

The victory gives Kompany’s side a flying start to their Bundesliga campaign and follows their 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup last week.

With the convincing result, Bayern have sent an early warning to their Bundesliga rivals as they begin their bid to retain the league title.