Olympiakos vs. Bayern Munich: Winners and Losers from Champions League Game
Bayern Munich started their 2015-16 Champions League campaign on a high note on Wednesday as they downed Olympiakos 3-0 in Piraeus to take an early lead in Group F.
Thomas Muller opened the scoring on 52 minutes with a cross-turned-shot, and substitute Mario Gotze added a late second before Muller rounded off the result with a penalty in injury-time.
Although the result was excellent on paper, things were not all rosy for Bayern, as Robert Lewandowski, Xabi Alonso and Arturo Vidal all left the pitch with apparent knocks. But the German giants will at least appreciate the hard-earned points away from home.
Click "Begin Slideshow" for B/R's picks for the winners and losers from Wednesday's action.
Winner: Thomas Muller
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Wednesday marked a milestone for Thomas Muller as he became the first Bayern and Germany player to score in eight different Champions League campaigns.
His opener was his 29th goal in Europe’s greatest club football competition, a high among German players in the tournament’s modern form. And he added a second before the final whistle.
Robert Lewandowski and Douglas Costa weren’t sharp enough to provide the breakthrough for Bayern, who needed a hero to step up—especially in the absence of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.
Although Muller benefited from a fair bit of fortune in finding the net, he did nonetheless score yet another big goal for the Bavarian giants. His late penalty was no mistake, though.
Winners: Bayern Substitutes Kingsley Coman and Mario Gotze
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With 59 minutes passed, Kinglsey Coman entered the match to replace Robert Lewandowski. It was a big moment for the Frenchman, one of just two attacking players on the Bayern bench along with Mario Gotze.
Although a recent signing and four years his competitor’s junior, Coman was chosen ahead of Gotze to come on the pitch.
Yet despite being knocked down the pecking order on Wednesday, at least, Gotze made a good account of himself. He was brought on with 13 minutes left to play and scored in the last minute of regular time, finishing from Coman’s cross after a marvelous first touch.
Not to be outdone, Coman then won the penalty that Muller converted to wrap up the 3-0 win. Without the substitutes, Bayern still would have taken three points.
However, Coman and Gotze made the result something to really be proud of and did themselves a fair bit of good in earning more trust from Guardiola.
Loser: Leandro Salino
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Bayern’s back four looked quite complacent for much of Wednesday’s match, conceding several chances in particular from set pieces. There was a goal for the hosts if they could prove themselves sharp enough to score it.
The clearest example of Bayern’s sluggish defensive play came with about eight minutes left, as David Alaba ducked and the ball struck him on the shoulder, teeing up Leandro Salino for a chance on goal.
The Brazilian struck his shot well wide, never giving Manuel Neuer much of a reason to worry. It could have been the equalizer, but instead, the hosts remained a goal down and conceded a late pair to lose by a decisive margin.
Had Salino been able to put away his chance, it may have energized the hosts and led to a different result.
Loser: Bayern's Depth
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Bayern suffered a blight of injuries last season, and things began in 2014-15 on what seemed to be better terms. On Wednesday, however, the squad's overall health took a big beating.
Robert Lewandowski left the pitch after about an hour played, perhaps nursing a knock. Then Arturo Vidal and Xabi Alonso were substituted, each apparently having picked up an injury.
The substitutions could all have been precautionary; we'll soon know the severity of each case. If all are set to miss a game or more, though, it could mean that Bayern will have precious little in terms of depth for the time being.
Winner: Bayern’s Luck and Confidence
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This author is probably Thomas Muller’s second-biggest fan behind Louis van Gaal. Yet even the Dutchman would have to admit that Muller’s opener was the stuff of luck.
The 26-year-old was seen laughing as his badly mishit cross turned out to be a perfectly weighted lob into the Olympiakos net.
As Bayern appeared to be struggling for ideas in the final third, the Germany international inadvertently pulled a rabbit out of his hat to put his side in the driver’s seat. It was luck, perhaps, but it was enough to spur the team on.
Following a couple late goals, Bayern won quite comfortably.
When you win games by a big margin even after spending more than a half playing football well below your brilliant best, it can provide quite a bit of confidence. For, if you can win in such a manner, what can stop you?
