Bayern Munich 4-0 Atletico Madrid: Player Ratings as Bavarians begin title defence in style | Champions League 2020-21
Bayern Munich began the defence of their Champions League title in emphatic fashion, as they cruised to a comfortable 4-0 Group A win over last season's quarter-finalists Atletico Madrid at the Allianz Arena.
Kingsley Coman netted a well-taken brace, while Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso got on the scoresheet as well. Hansi Flick's side responded accordingly to Atletico's promising start, and Diego Simeone was left fuming as his team created a handful of good openings but failed to take their chances.
Suddenly, Atletico were a goal down just before the half-hour mark. Their deficit doubled before half-time as Coman and Goretzka combined to devastating effect in the area for the latter's razor-sharp finish on 41 minutes.
Early in the second-half, Joao Felix saw his volleyed effort ruled out after a VAR review deemed Luis Suarez to have impeded Manuel Neuer's line of sight. Things went bad to worse for the visitors, who had to chase the game with their high line regularly being split open by Bayern Munich's incisive passing and forward runners.
Tolisso let fly from the edge of the box, and his strike rifled into the top corner to effectively end Atletico's chances of a spirited comeback. Coman doubled his tally ruthlessly on the counter-attack - a fitting finale before being substituted.
Bayern Munich had the luxury of giving valuable minutes to return loanee Douglas Costa and deadline day signing Bouna Sarr (£9m), while the likes of Leroy Sane (knee) and Serge Gnabry (COVID-19) were unavailable.
If this display is anything to go by, Bayern Munich will relish the chance to defend their crown this season. Without further ado, here's a look at individual player ratings from the Bavarians' big curtain-raising victory.
Bayern Munich Player Ratings
Manuel Neuer: 7/10
He officially made just one save, but notched up another clean sheet for Bayern Munich. Neuer's justified protest to the officials after Felix's volley evaded him into the bottom corner after the restart could have been a turning point.
Had he just shouted angrily at his defenders rather than claim he was impeded, perhaps they wouldn't have used VAR review - something that Oblak found out midway through the second 45.
His presence alone appeared to unnerve Yannick Carrasco when the Belgian had a handful of promising openings. As usual, the German was unafraid to get involved as an auxiliary centre-back when Alaba in particular was being pressed in his own half.
Lucas Hernandez: 7.5/10
Playing against your former club is never easy, but versatile Bayern Munich defender Hernandez gave a good account of himself and was actually their best defensive player.
Firm in his tackles, he created a number of half-chances and was more impactful than his defensive teammates. The 24-year-old was noticed far more than the rest across both boxes, and he rarely put a foot wrong.
David Alaba: 7/10
Alaba showed important turns of pace and spatial awareness to play his way out of trouble at times. He had four clearances, two interceptions and tackles, one key pass and 91.5% total distribution over the 90 minutes.
Alaba crucially remained composed under duress after an early booking for a soft but equally needless foul on Suarez, who could've easily got him sent off if he didn't maintain his discipline. Overall, the Austrian managed the game carefully for Bayern Munich in central defence.
Niklas Sule: 7/10
Sule hit the post in the first half but really should have scored from such close-range, especially unmarked! He was overly aggressive at times when trying to dispossess Suarez and co, but did well for the most part and had cover alongside him whenever he did venture ten yards up the pitch.
No Bayern Munich player had more clearances (5) and with Jerome Boateng again an unused substitute, he'll be hoping his form can keep the 32-year-old there.
Benjamin Pavard: 7/10
Pavard continually shut down Lodi's overlapping runs in the second half before coming off, and could've had an assist but for Muller's miscued effort after half-time.
He was replaced for new man Sarr with less than 20 minutes to play, but did his reputation at Bayern Munich no harm with another decent outing.
Leon Goretzka: 7.5/10
Goretzka drove through midfield where possible. He didn't seem like he was doing much defensively but Atletico didn't willingly attack down his side a lot.
As an opposing player, you'd much rather attack the Pavard-Sule-Kimmich trident than Alaba-Hernandez-Goretzka, and it showed here. He made three clearances, two tackles and one interception, while no player retained possession like him (95.7% success). The German took his first-half finish beautifully too.
Joshua Kimmich: 8/10
Kimmich kept things ticking over as he usually does, and has the knack of making even the most simplistic moves look effortlessly brilliant. Case in point being his sublime assist to tee up Coman's opener, where he won the loose ball in midfield and sprayed it into the Frenchman's path.
He had 100 touches, two key passes (87.2% pass accuracy), a trio of clearances and interceptions to accompany two tackles, and was visibly determined to retrieve possession whenever it was lost in midfield. It's difficult to imagine this Bayern Munich team without Kimmich.
Corentin Tolisso: 7.5/10
Tolisso took his goal well and deserved it in fairness, as he regularly found himself in dangerous positions and was fouled a lot for his troubles (four times).
As to be expected, Tolisso's decision-making left a bit to be desired, but he's not a natural playmaker by trade and instead operated as box-to-box here. Atletico's midfield wilted so he didn't really have much defending to do.
The Frenchman capped a fine display with a fantastic strike, the onus is on him to produce more goals on a semi-regular basis for Bayern Munich.
Man of the Match: Kingsley Coman - 9/10
Coman registered a brace and an assist in 73 minutes. He was unfortunate not to get the chance to get a hat-trick but given his grim luck with injuries, Flick saved him with Eintracht Frankfurt in mind on Saturday afternoon.
Kimmich's pass was brilliant but Coman still had a lot to do. He brought it down perfectly, leaving Trippier in his wake before caressing into the bottom corner. Oblak had no chance with either of his strikes.
Muller fed through an inviting ball as Atleti's high line was exposed, and the Frenchman waltzed past Felipe twice and remained composed before stroking into the far corner.
Clearly playing with plenty of confidence, his first-half assist for Goretzka was equally impressive. Close-control dribbling saw him skip past a number of challenges in such a tight space, both in and around the area.
Although they should have defended the situation better, it was nonetheless a great piece of individual skill and expertly tucked away by Goretzka. Consistency, though, is the key for Coman at Bayern Munich.
Robert Lewandowski: 6.5/10
Lewandowski was understandably frustrated to have not scored, but his hold-up play and ability to involve others was key in helping Bayern Munich create their second goal.
He dovetailed well with Coman and Muller where possible, while the Atletico defenders made a conscious effort to isolate him. This indirectly helped his Bayern Munich attacking teammates have more space and time in possession to good effect.
Thomas Muller: 7/10
Muller created three big chances so the Bayern Munich man might have been given a higher rating, but his in-game reactions told the story. The German was frustrated as he lost the ball a lot and his decision-making wasn't as smart as it could have been.
He was booked in the first half for a challenge on Trippier, fired wide with an audacious scissor-kick strike and could've had more than one goal contribution in Bayern Munich's comprehensive win.
Bayern Munich Substitutes
Bouna Sarr: 6.5/10
Some eyebrows were raised when Sarr's Bayern Munich arrival was made official on deadline day, but it's clear he will be a much-needed rotational option in a gruelling campaign with matches galore across multiple competitions.
Chris Richards' development in Bayern Munich's second team hasn't gone unnoticed, but a more experienced professional is second-choice for the foreseeable future. Sarr came on and made three clearances in a handy 20-minute cameo.
Douglas Costa, Javi Martinez, Alphonso Davies, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting: N/A
All of Bayern Munich's substitutes were not on long enough to justify a fair rating.
Costa came on at the same time as Sarr (73') but only had 12 touches during that time, which speaks volumes.