Bayern Munich open Bundesliga campaign with 5-1 victory over Stuttgart
The defending champions scored four second-half goals at the Allianz Arena to overcome an early equalizer and extend their unbeaten streak in league openers to 15 matches.
Opening exchanges at the Allianz Arena
FC Bayern Munich started their Bundesliga title defense with a 5-1 victory against VfB Stuttgart on Friday night. The opening fixture of the 64th Bundesliga season drew 75,000 spectators to the Allianz Arena in Munich. Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeneß implemented an aggressive full-pitch man-marking scheme that limited Bayern's passing options through the first half, with both teams striking the woodwork during the early exchanges. Bayern took the lead in the 21st minute when Dayot Upamecano headed home a corner kick delivered by Joshua Kimmich. Stuttgart goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow, starting in place of injured regular Dennis Seimen, produced multiple saves to keep the deficit at one goal by halftime.
Second-half turnaround and decisive burst
Stuttgart equalized seven minutes into the second half in the 52nd minute. Manuel Neuer stopped an initial attempt from defender Jeff Chabot, but Josha Vagnoman converted the loose rebound. Bayern answered quickly with two goals inside five minutes. Michael Olise scored after Kimmich intercepted a misplaced pass from Angelo Stiller, and Vagnoman deflected an Alphonso Davies cross into his own net in the 57th minute while attempting to clear. Stuttgart captain Deniz Undav described the 3-1 deficit as a breaking point for his team.
Bayern are clinical, they do not need much and they simply do not stop.
- Dayot Upamecano heads in Joshua Kimmich's corner to give Bayern the lead
- Josha Vagnoman equalizes on a rebound following Manuel Neuer's save against Jeff Chabot
- Michael Olise scores after Joshua Kimmich intercepts Angelo Stiller's pass
- Josha Vagnoman diverts Alphonso Davies' cross into his own net
- Ismael Saibari enters the match as a substitute for his Bundesliga debut
- Aleksandar Pavlovic scores Bayern's fourth goal from an Ismael Saibari assist
- Luis Diaz scores Bayern's fifth goal from Ismael Saibari's second assist
Dressing room power failure and debut assists
The second half followed an unusual halftime incident in which a power failure left Stuttgart's dressing room without lighting. Hoeneß discussed the outage after the match, explaining that the room remained sufficiently visible for the team to complete their tactical preparations without disruption. Bayern extended their lead late in the match following the 61st-minute substitution of Moroccan winger Ismael Saibari, who joined from PSV Eindhoven for 55 million euros. Another summer arrival, Nathaniel Brown, had previously joined from Eintracht Frankfurt for 50 million euros and filled in for injured midfielder Jamal Musiala during the Supercup. Saibari provided two assists on his league debut, setting up Aleksandar Pavlovic for a tap-in in the 82nd minute before assisting Luis Diaz, who had earlier seen an effort saved by Bredlow after Olise had a second goal ruled out for offside.
- Ismael Saibari
- 55 €M
- Nathaniel Brown
- 50 €M
Title defense targets and squad reaction
The result extended Bayern's unbeaten record in Bundesliga opening fixtures to 15 matches, following a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup a week earlier. Bayern won the previous league campaign by 16 points while setting a scoring record of 122 goals, and previously defeated Stuttgart 3-0 in the DFB-Pokal final three months earlier. Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth acknowledged that the scoreline provided a sobering reality check regarding his squad's standing. Board member for sport Max Eberl and CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen stated that the team remains focused on long-term objectives across multiple competitions, with an upcoming DFB-Pokal match at Osnabrück on Wednesday before hosting Schalke 04. Kimmich noted that the squad is still working toward its peak level ahead of Champions League fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester United.
It is never perfect, not today either. But it was impressive.
