Bayern Munich opened their Bundesliga title defence with a 5-1 victory over Stuttgart, making it two wins from two matches at the start of Vincent Kompany’s season.
Dayot Upamecano gave Bayern the lead with a finely judged header from Joshua Kimmich’s corner, directing the ball across goal and beyond Stuttgart goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow.
Bredlow produced several impressive saves to keep his side in the contest, and Stuttgart were rewarded when Josha Vagnoman equalised with a powerful finish.
Bayern quickly restored their advantage. Kimmich threaded a pass into space for Michael Olise, who kept his composure to slot the ball past Bredlow.
Vagnoman’s evening then took another unfortunate turn. The Stuttgart goalscorer slipped while attempting to clear Alphonso Davies’ cross and diverted the ball into his own net to give Bayern a 3-1 lead.
Olise appeared to have added another when he converted a pass from Harry Kane, but the effort was disallowed following a video assistant referee review for offside.
Bayern continued to dominate and extended their advantage through Aleksandar Pavlovic. Substitute Ismael Saibari showed good awareness and opted to play the ball across rather than shoot, allowing Pavlovic to tap in from close range.
Saibari was involved again in stoppage time, marking his Bundesliga debut by setting up Luis Diaz for Bayern’s fifth goal.
The result gives Kompany’s team a strong start to their campaign as they seek to retain the Bundesliga title. Bayern had already begun the season with a victory, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the German Super Cup last week.
Saibari joined Bayern during the summer from PSV Eindhoven for £43m, and his introduction added further attacking impetus as Stuttgart struggled to contain the champions.
Despite Bredlow’s early resistance and Vagnoman’s equaliser, Bayern’s quality eventually proved decisive. Upamecano’s opening header set them on their way, while Olise’s goal restored control before the own goal shifted the momentum firmly in the visitors’ favour.
The disallowed effort denied Olise a second goal, but Bayern still finished with five different scorers across the match. Pavlovic and Diaz completed a convincing opening-day performance for Kompany’s side.