Showing supreme professionalism and remarkable early-season freshness, Bayern made light of their tricky summer with a hard-earned but merited 2-1 victory over VfL Wolfsburg in Friday night’s official 2014/15 Bundesliga season opener.
The 71,137 capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena saw Pep Guardiola’s team hit their stride after a 20-minute settling-in period and take a 37th-minute lead courtesy of Thomas Müller’s classic poacher’s finish. Arjen Robben doubled the lead with a fine solo effort immediately after the restart but FCB old boy Ivica Olic cracked a shot past Manuel Neuer to cut the arrears on 52 minutes. The contest boiled up to a frenetic finish with chances at both ends but the Reds held on for an important victory.
The double winners return to action away to Schalke in next Saturday’s second league fixture, before the domestic programme takes a fortnight’s breather for the first international break of the new season.
Debuts for Lewa, Bernat and Gaudino
Guardiola’s starting line-up included all the club’s fit and eligible World Cup winners, plus an emotional return to the Bundesliga fray for Holger Badstuber after a 20-month injury absence. There were top flight debuts in a Munich shirt for summer signings Juan Bernat and Robert Lewandowski, while surprise starter Gianluca Gaudino became the fourth-youngest player ever to represent FCB in the top flight at the age of 17 years, nine months and 11 days.
FCB were without the suspended Jerome Boateng, and injury victims Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery, Rafinha, Javi Martinez and Thiago, but the customary long bench included new backup keeper Pepe Reina in his first squad appearance for the Reds, fellow summer arrival Sebastian Rode, US starlet Julian Green, and another youngster with a famous father, Lucas Scholl.
The champions started with Neuer in goal and – unlike most of the pre-season friendlies – four rather than three at the back, namely Bernat, Badstuber, Dante and captain Philipp Lahm. David Alaba and Gaudino began in defensive midfield, with Müller, Mario Götze and Robben looking to supply centre-forward Lewandowski.
VfL boss Dieter Hecking’s line-up included ex-FCB men Luiz Gustavo and Olic, plus former Bayern youth Max Grün in goal as the stand-in for regular keeper Diego Benaglio (flu).
