MUNICH (Germany) — Jamal Musiala scored the opener and Michael Olise grabbed two goals as Bayern Munich cruised to a comfortable 5-0 home win over Bodo-Glimt in the UEFA Champions League.
Harry Kane and Alphonso Davies also got on the scoresheet for the six-time European champions but the evening belonged to Musiala, who was embraced by his teammates after scoring on his return to the starting XI.
The Germany international missed two matches after revealing he was suffering from a neurological condition which caused him to collapse on the pitch in two of Bayern’s pre-season friendlies.
“Scoring a goal — pure happiness,” Musiala told DAZN of his opener.
“I just want to perform well again… I just want to get back to my level step by step, playing with a sense of ease, joy, and fun on the pitch,” he added according to AFP.
Kane praised his teammate, telling reporters that Musiala “had a tough time at the start of the season.
“It’s great to see a smile on his face. He can be very proud of himself.”
The win continued Bayern’s remarkable run of 24 straight victories in Champions League opening games dating back to 2002.
Last season’s Champions League surprise packages Bodo, who made it to the last 16, held out bravely but struggled in the second half and eventually lost Odin Bjortuft to a straight red card for a last-man foul with three minutes left.
Musiala was among three changes Bayern coach Vincent Kompany made to his starting XI from Saturday’s scoreless draw at Schalke, alongside the returning Kane and Olise.
The German champions were frustrated by Bodo’s deep block in the opening half, struggling to carve out a clear-cut chance.
Bodo’s resistance was broken early in the second period when Musiala latched onto a blocked Kane effort and fired a shot into the far corner.
Kane added another just after the hour mark, heading in an Olise free-kick to extend his Champions League scoring run to eight matches in a row.
Bayern ran rampant in the dying stages, scoring three goals in the last 15 minutes.
Davies blasted in an excellent long-range effort with 13 minutes left and Olise soon followed suit six minutes later, guiding a sensational shot into the top left corner from 25 yards out.
The France winger added another brilliant finish in stoppage time to add gloss to a dominant second-half performance for the Bavarian giants.
