Sadio Mane scored his first Bundesliga goal as Bayern Munich won 6-1 against Eintracht Frankfurt to kick off the new season.
Europa League champions Frankfurt appeared to be a difficult first opponent for the champions, but Julian Nagelsmann’s side swept them aside in spectacular fashion.
Bayern, who overcame RB Leipzig 5-3 in the DFL-Supercup last week in their first competitive encounter since Robert Lewandowski’s departure, led 5-0 at halftime on Friday, with Joshua Kimmich, Benjamin Pavard, Jamal Musiala, and Serge Gnabry also scoring.
Manuel Neuer’s blunder handed Randal Kolo Muani a consolation goal, but it was a small blip in an otherwise flawless Bayern performance, and Musiala killed things off with his second late on.
Bayern had complete control by the tenth minute. Pavard scored his second goal in as many games after Kimmich tricked Kevin Trapp with a long-range free-kick that clipped in off the right-hand upright.
Juventus-linked Filip Kostic set up a wonderful opportunity for Frankfurt to claw themselves back into contention, but Tuta headed over the crossbar, denying Bayern a third after Gnabry’s sloppy ball sold Thomas Muller short in front of goal.
Another golden Eintracht chance went begging thanks to Jesper Lindstrom’s carelessness, but Bayern added a third as Trapp parried Musiala’s shot into the crossbar, with Mane stooping low to head in Gnabry’s cross.
Six minutes later, Mane turned architect for Bayern’s fourth goal, luring the Frankfurt defence and feeding Muller, who squared for Musiala, who scored five minutes before halftime.
Kristijan Jakic, one of three Frankfurt half-time replacements, thought he had equalized in the 56th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Neuer didn’t get much credit for that event, and Bayern’s captain was totally to blame eight minutes later when he was knocked off the ball by Kolo Muani.
Musiala, on the other hand, had the ultimate say, slotting in after Leroy Sane’s superb ball to round out a commanding victory.
What does it imply? There is no need for Lewy.
Bayern has now gone 11 seasons without losing their first league match, winning the title in each of the previous ten.
Although Bayern has lost against Frankfurt more times than any other team (23), they were in terrific form from the start, and there was never any threat of another defeat.
Bayern’s attack, led by Mane and the evergreen Muller, who tied Hans Georg Schwarzenbeck’s 416 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern (the second-most among outfield players) and concluded with two assists, looks scintillating.
Magical Mane has taken to the skies.
Mane scored in his first away game for Liverpool in five of his six Premier League seasons, including his Reds debut in a 4-3 triumph against Arsenal in August 2016.
The Senegal forward felt like he’d get off to a fast start in Germany, and he has. He is the first Bayern player to score in his first Bundesliga away game since Joshua Zirkzee did it against Freiburg in December 2019, while Mario Mandzukic was the previous Bayern player to do so in all competitions in 2012.
Frankfurt has little home comforts.
In Bundesliga history, Friday’s game marked the ninth instance of an away team scoring five goals before halftime, with Bayern accounting for four of those instances.
However, they were aided by their hosts’ terrible defensive performance. Last season, Frankfurt earned just 19 points at home (W4 D7 L6), trailing only the two relegated sides, Arminia Bielefeld and Greuther Furth, and Oliver Glasner must find a better balance.
What comes next?
Bayern Munich visits Wolfsburg in their second Bundesliga game of the season, while Frankfurt travels to Helsinki for the Super Cup against Champions League winners Real Madrid.