Bayern beat Wolfsburg 2-1 in Bundesliga opener

Image
IANS Berlin
Last Updated : Aug 23 2014 | 11:40 AM IST

German football giants Bayern Munich started their 52nd Bundesliga season with a hard earned 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg, thanks to goals by Thomas Mueller and Arjen Robben at the outsold Allianz Arena.

The "Bavarians" established a 2-0 lead within 46 minutes but resilient Wolfsburg reduced the lead to 2-1 by courtesy of Ivica Olic here Friday night, reports Xinhua.

The hosts dominated the early proceedings as expected. They pressed Wolfsburg into the defence and let the ball do the work. Nevertheless, Wolfsburg's well-positioned defence gave the German giants a hard time.

At the half hour mark, Bayern increased their pressure noticeably. Yet, Mueller and Robert Lewandowski saw their opportunities saved by "Wolves" goalkeeper Max Gruen.

However, Gruen was hapless at the 37th minute when Mueller flicked on Robben's cross into the box, into the far post corner, marking the first goal of the Bundesliga season 2014-15.

After the break, Bayern started where they left off as Robben doubled the lead with just two minutes into the second half.

The Dutchman made use of a one-two with Lewandowski to curl home into the top left corner from eleven meters between two Wolfsburg defenders.

It was a short lived joy by Pep Guardiola's men as Olic reduced Bayern's 2-0 lead with long range effort from sixteen meters into the top left corner at the 52nd minute.

Bayern were stunned but still they were able to create chances through Lewandowski, who wasted the chance to extend the lead one-on-one against Wolfsburg goalkeeper Gruen.

Wolfsburg nearly punished Bayern's wastefulness but Junior Malanda squandered the best chance to restore parity when he missed a rebound in front of the open goal in the 79th minute.

Malanda's golden chance was a wakening call for the defending champions, who responded with a goal by substitute Sebastian Rode that was denied due to a supposed offside position by another Bayern player.

Nevertheless, Bayern killed the clock and reaped the first victory of the season.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 23 2014 | 11:28 AM IST

Next Story