Bayern Munich vs. Hamburg: Score and Reaction from 2015 Bundesliga Match

Reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich opened the new league campaign with a 5-0 victory over Hamburg at Allianz Arena on Friday. Thomas Muller led the attacking charge with a second-half brace.

Despite the lopsided scoreline, it wasn't a perfect performance from the Bavarians, who were a little sluggish out of the gate and failed to take advantage of some early chances. Nevertheless, a routine win to open the season is always a welcome sight.

The match also served as the Bayern league debuts for Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal, the side's two most high-profile summer additions. They both had solid outings in the midfield, especially Costa, with a few highlight-reel moments, and will need to shine throughout the season for FCB to reach their goals.

Pep Guardiola talked ahead of the match about keeping high expectations for the star-studded squad, which finished 10 points clear of their closest rivals last term. Continuing to hold the trophy remains atop the manager's to-do list, as noted by Matthew Rogerson of Goal.com.

"Of course, we would like the championship. Nobody has managed the fourth championship, so that would be a big step," Guardiola said. "But we have strong competitors: not just Wolfsburg, but Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Monchengladbach, Dortmund, Schalke. In addition, I want to reach the semifinals of the Champions League with this squad, then we have to see."

Bayern were the aggressor in the early going, as expected.

They started to dominate possession almost immediately but initially lacked the necessary finishing touch. The Rothosen deserved credit for not conceding too much space, which led to a couple of early cards for the home side, per Stefan Bienkowski of STV Sport:

The Bavarians jumped out in front shortly before the half-hour mark off a set piece. Xabi Alonso curled in a perfectly placed delivery, and Medhi Benatia, who scored just one Bundesliga goal in 15 matches last season, redirected it past Rene Adler to grab the lead.

Stats Zone highlighted the strong start from Alonso:

As for Benatia, the tally continued to a positive trend for the defender, according to Bavarian Tweets:

Though Bayern continued to control the run of play following the goal, they couldn't find the net again before half-time. They still headed into the break with nine attempts at goal compared to just two for Hamburg while holding more than 70 percent possession, according to Flashscore.

Janusz Michallik of ESPN did have one criticism of the first half for FCB:

As if Bayern listened to his advice, it took less than 10 minutes after half-time for Robert Lewandowski to get on the scoresheet.

The Bavarians pushed forward, and although the Hamburg defense won a 50-50 ball directed toward Muller, the loose ball bounced right into the path of the Polish international. He made no mistake, slotting it into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

Lewandowski continues to enjoy plenty of success against HSV, as WhoScored.com spotlighted:

Bayern stretched the lead to three in the 70th minute thanks to a terrific individual effort by Costa to set up Muller. The Brazilian raced down the sideline to save an errant pass then cut inside and provided a picturesque cross in the path of the German forward, who easily tapped it past the goalkeeper.

The entire counter-attack started after another strong play from Benatia, as Bayern Central noted:

If the three points weren't already secure, Muller made sure they were with his second goal just a few minutes later. He took a pass from Lewandowski and unleashed a heavy strike past a hopeless Adler, who didn't get much help in the second half.

Costa put an ideal cap on the match in the final minutes with another glimpse into his vast potential to net his first Bayern goal. DW Sports provided the details:

There are certainly areas for improvement for Bayern coming out of the opening fixture. That's almost always the case, however. It's hard to emerge from the tunnel on opening day and play like the title is on the line.

Hamburg did well to remain competitive throughout the first half. Alas, they had too many defensive lapses in the second half, and a high-powered side like the Bavarians usually take advantage of those extra chances, as they certainly did Friday.

All told, once Bayern found a rhythm in the second half, it turned into a rout.

Post-Match Reaction

Guardiola is happy with the overall performance but knows it's a long season, the club noted:

Bayern also spotlighted post-match remarks from HSV boss Bruno Labbadia:

Bayern return to action next Saturday for their opening road match of the campaign against Hoffenheim at Rhein-Neckar Arena. Hamburg return home next weekend to face Stuttgart as they try to pick up their first win of the season.