Bayern Munich players celebrate a goal by Jamal Musiala (No. 10)
Bayern Munich players celebrate a goal by Jamal Musiala (No. 10)

German club Bayern Munich cruised to a lopsided victory in their opening match of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase, with defender Kim Min-jae watching from the bench.

Bayern thrashed Bodo/Glimt of Norway 5-0 at home at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Friday (Korean Standard Time) in the first round of the 2026-2027 UCL league phase. Michael Olise scored twice to lead the rout.

Bayern opened the season with a win and a draw in the German Bundesliga and beat a second-division side in the first round of the DFB Pokal. The club kept their unbeaten run alive with the emphatic result in their UCL opener.

Bayern reached the UCL semifinals last season but fell to Paris Saint-Germain of France, missing out on the title. The German giants are now pushing hard to reclaim the European crown for the first time since the 2019-2020 season.

Bodo, making their UCL debut last season, caused a stir by upsetting Manchester City of England en route to the round of 16 in the league phase. But the Norwegian club suffered a heavy defeat in their opener this season.

Kim, the national team defender who plays for Bayern, was named among the substitutes but did not see the field. Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah started as Bayern's center-back pairing and played the full match.

Bayern were unable to break through in the first half but exploded for five goals in the second, after Bodo goalkeeper Nikita Haikin was substituted out with an injury.

Jamal Musiala opened the scoring two minutes into the second half, and Harry Kane doubled the lead with a header from a free kick in the 61st minute.

Alphonso Davies curled in a left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty arc in the 77th minute, and Olise made it 4-0 with a left-footed strike from distance in the 83rd minute.

Unable to respond, Bodo saw their hopes of a comeback further dashed when defender Odin Bjortuft was sent off in the 87th minute. Bayern completed the rout with an additional goal from Olise in stoppage time.

Manchester United of the English Premier League beat Sabah of Azerbaijan 4-0 in their return to the UCL league phase after a three-year absence.

Manchester United, three-time UCL champions, had been shut out of the tournament for the past two seasons. The club was eliminated in the group stage in the 2023-2024 season amid a poor run in the Premier League. The club marked their return with a dominant win in their opener.

Matheus Cunha scored in the 27th minute, followed by Bruno Fernandes in the 42nd and Benjamin Sesko in the 45th. Lisandro Martinez added a goal in the 68th minute as United piled on the goals.

Sabah, founded in 2017 and playing in the UCL for the first time, were shut out and suffered a lopsided loss in their opening match.

Como of Italy, coached by Cesc Fabregas, beat RB Leipzig of Germany 4-1 in their UCL debut, while Lens of France edged past Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic 3-2.

PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands drew 1-1 with Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine, and Fenerbahce of Turkey drew 1-1 with AS Roma of Italy.


husn7@heraldcorp.com