Bayern Munich 3 - 1 Bayer Leverkusen: as it happened, goals, match report
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Bayern 3 - 1 Bayer Leverkusen: match report
The teeming Bavarian rain could not dampen Bayern's spirits. The red-shirted players saluted their supporters at full time having secured an opening-day victory against Bayer Leverkusen, with a helping hand from video-assisted refereeing on its Bundesliga debut.
Bayern quickly settled in to a rhythm that had evading them throughout pre-season, and Niklas Süle made the breakthrough after nine minutes, heading Sebastian Rudy's inviting inswinger in to the bottom corner. The centre-half arrived this summer from Hoffenheim, and he took the chance presented by the absence of Jerome Boateng and Javi Martínez.
The visitors reacted well to going behind. The wiry figure of Karim Bellarabi picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch, and shrugged off Sebastian Rudy before striding forward. He slid the ball forward to Admir Mehmedi, who forced Ulreich, deputising for Manuel Neuer, in to a smart save.
Yet while Leverkusen flurried forward on the counter, Bayern's pressure was consistent. Franck Ribery was a menace in a floating role behind Lewandowski, always aware of the space.
His fellow Frenchman, Corentin Tolisso, scored Bayern's second from close range. Bernd Leno flapped an outswinging corner straight to Arturo Vidal, the Chilean engine of the side leant back to control the ball on his chest, before dinking the ball to the far post. Tolisso made light contact. That was all he had to do. The net rippled, and his Bayern account opened. The €41m summer signing from Lyon showed no signs of the club-record fee weighing on his shoulders.
The onslaught continued. Tolisso was back again five minutes later, his shot from a tight angle bobbled across the 'keeper and bounced off the base of the post.
As the downpour turned to a deluge and half time approached, Leverkusen settled in to a rhythm. But by that point, they had left themselves a great deal of work to do.
When the second half eventually began after a ten-minute weather delay, Leverkusen manager Heiko Herrlich introduced Julian Brandt and Aleksandar Dragovic. The former added a spark to the attack, Die Werkself started positively.
A brush of Charles Aránguiz' arm, and a questionable VAR decision, would swing the game firmly back in Bayern's favour. With Thomas Müller moving in to the box, Aránguiz placed a light hand on his shoulder as he tried to get goal-side. Müller, savvy, threw himself to the ground, thrashed the turf with his fist, and protested vociferously. The referee referred the decision to his video-assisted colleagues, and they awarded a penalty that Lewandowski calmly converted. It was the first outing for the video referee in the Bundesliga, it did not escape controversy, nor the con act of Thomas Müller.
Mehmedi reduced the deficit in the second half with a rasping drive from just inside the box, which kissed the underside of the bar as it crossed the line. Leverkusen rallied, with Ulreich forced in to a smart double save from Brandt and then Kohl. But they could not find the breakthrough.