Leroy Sane stars for Bayern Munich in Inter Milan win
Leroy Sane scored one and made another as Bayern Munich beat Inter Milan 2-0 in their opening 2022/23 UEFA Champions League fixture.
Inter Milan 0-2 Bayern Munich Goals: 0-1Sane 25’ (assist: Kimmich), 0-2 D’Ambrosio (o.g. 66’)
The only team in Champions League history to have won all of their group openers to date, Bayern lived up to their reputation as fast-starters by peppering Andre Onana’s goal. Joshua Kimmich made the Inter goalkeeper work twice in quick succession with shots from distance inside four minutes. Kingsley Coman then fired off target with an ambitious chipped attempt, before Thomas Müller connected with a Sane cross but put his first-time strike too close to Onana. Bayern’s next attempt stuck as Sane brilliantly controlled Kimmich’s sublime pass, rounded the keeper and slotted into the empty net. The visitors should have added to their deserved first-half lead, but Onana and Danilo D’Ambrosio blocked respective strikes from Alphonso Davies and Müller, before Marcel Sabitzer put the rebound wide.
Inter had only threatened sporadically in the first 45, with Lautaro Martinez dragging wide and Manuel Neuer making a routine stop from Danilio D’Ambrosio. Bayern had more defending to do after the restart as D’Ambrosio blazed over, and former Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko made Neuer work with a shot on the turn. Lucas Hernandez blocked another Dzeko effort from a Hakan Calhanoglu corner, before Bayern wrestled back the initiative. After Coman sent a deflected effort over and Onana fumbled a header onto a post, the record champions gave themselves breathing space. Sane and Coman carved open the defence with a slick exchange that culminated in D’Ambrosio putting Sane’s return pass into the net. Onana denied Sadio Mane his first Champions League goal for Bayern, while substitute Serge Gnabry blazed over. Joaquin Correa missed the chance to set up a grandstand finish as Bayern made a perfect start to their Group C campaign, ahead of the Matchday 2 reunion with Robert Lewandowski and Barcelona.
Match stats
Bayern have won all 19 of their Champions League openers. No other team can lay claim to that feat.
Bayern are now 11 Champions League matches without defeat to Italian opposition, and are unbeaten on their last seven trips to Italy (W5, D2).
Sane brought up his 17th Champions League goal. Müller, Mario Gomez and Marco Reus are the only German nationals with more goals in the competition.
Bayern have scored 29 goals in all competitions this season, whilst conceding just six.
Germany's record champions are six-time Champions League winners, most recently lifting the trophy in 2019/20 as part of an unprecedented sextuple.
Dzeko scored 85 goals in 142 competitive games for Wolfsburg between 2007 and 2011, whilst winning the Bundesliga title in 2008/09.
Champions League Matchday 1 Matchday 1 San Siro, Milan
90'
+ 3
BAYERN START AS THEY MEAN TO GO ON
Solid stuff from Bayern, who run out deserved winners. Barcelona and Robert Lewandowski, who scored a hat-trick against Viktoria Plzen in the other Group C fixture, are up next.
Full-time
89'
TIME ADDED ON
Three minutes to go for Bayern, who have made a real statement of intent...
So close to a third Bayern goal as Coman finds Mane. The angle's tight, but he gets a shot off that Onana does well to block with his foot.
66'
BAYERN DOUBLE LEAD!
Moments after Onana fumbles a flicked header onto the post, Bayern add a second. Coman and Sane carve open the Inter defence with a fablulous interchange. Sane goes for one final return pass, and D'Ambrosio can only help it into the net.
Coman controls a ball into the box, but Skriniar sticks out a leg to divert the Bayern winger's goal-bound shot over. Kimmich's ensuing corner comes to nothing.
54'
ACCESS DENIED
Bayern with more defending to do as former Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu finds Dzeko from a corner. He directs it on goal, but Hernandez gets in the way.
50'
NEUER TESTED!
Dumfries and D'Ambrosio combine to set up Dzeko in the box. He shoots goalwards on the spin, but Neuer gets behind it. Inter's best chance yet.
47'
CHANCE!
Inter get the ball into the Bayern area. It falls to D'Ambrosio, who blazes over!
45'
BAYERN IN CONTROL
Sane's brilliantly taken goal is the difference at the break in Milan, but it could so easily have been more.
44'
IN GOOD COMPANY
Sane is now fourth among German goalscorers in the Champions League, with 17. Only Thomas Müller, Mario Gomez and Marco Reus have more.
Brilliant from Bayern as Mane slips Davies into the box. He tests Onana with a right-footed strike, D'Ambrosio gets in the way of Müller's follow-up attempt and Sabitzer puts the rebound wide. Inter lucky to only be 1-0 down...
30'
THE BAYERN GOAL MACHINE
Bayern have now scored 28 goals across their eight competitive games so far this season...
25'
BAYERN GET THEIR GOAL!
And it's been coming! Kimmich lifts a ball over the top of the Inter defence. Sane expertly brings it under wraps, before rounding Onana and slotting home. Sensational from the Bayern No.10!
Onana's keeping Inter in this. After pushing away a Kimmich strike, the Inter stopper is at full stretch to claw away Müller's first-time strike. Coman leads the next attack, but Müller fires his effort too close to the keeper.
17'
ROUTINE FOR NEUER
Dzeko's involved again for Inter. He tees up D'Ambrosio, who warms the palms of Neuer from outside the area. The ex-Wolfsburg man is leading the lnter line with real intent.
9'
MÜLLER!
Bayern come again with Sane. His first-time cross finds Müller, but his shot lacks the power to seriously trouble Onana.
7'
COMAN!
End-to-end stuff in Milan as Coman spots Onana off his line. He tries his luck, but doesn't find the target.
6'
WIDE!
Inter work it well against the run of play. Martinez gets away from Sabitzer and in behind Hernandez, but fires across goal and wide.
4'
KIMMICH FINDING HIS RANGE
Kimmich advances with the ball, before taking aim from distance. Onana makes the stop, and is called on again moments later. Kimmich is again the man lining up the shot, following a mistake by Brozovic. Onana flies to his left to beat it away, before the linesman's flag goes up against Mane.
1'
KICK-OFF!
Bayern are in their change strip of white with gold trim - will it be all-white on the night for the German record champions?
Kick-off!
THE CHAAAAAMPIONS!
The Champions League anthem rings out around the San Siro. Full focus from the Bayern players...
HERNANDEZ READY TO ROCK
"It's a tough group, but we're FC Bayern. We want to win every game," Bayern defender Lucas Hernandez told the club website. "We're ready."
NEUER BULLISH
Manuel Neuer won the Champions League with Bayern in 2012/13 and 2019/20. He's optimistic a third title could be on the cards this term. "We belong among the favourites," the Bayern captain told media. "We haven't managed to reach the latter stages the last two years. The exit against Villarreal hurt. We're among the favourites and we want to show that."
MATTHÄUS: 'BAYERN ARE FAVOURITES'
Lothar Matthäus is one of a handful of players to have played for Bayern and Inter. The German football legend says "Inter are the pot 3 team nobody wanted", but believes Julian Nagelsmann's side "have the quality to be considered favourties" (as per TZ München).
HAPPY HUNTING GROUND
Bayern have also gone 10 Champions League matches without defeat to Italian opposition, and are unbeaten in their last six trips to Italy (W4, D2).
GROUP MASTERS
Bayern equalled their own perfect group stage record last season (18 points, with 22 goals scored and three conceded). They are currently unbeaten in their last 28 group games (W25, D3) since a 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in September 2017.
WINNING HABIT
Bayern have won all of their past 18 opening matches in the Champions League - a record no other team can lay claim to.
WHO IS SCHENK?
Johannes Schenk makes a senior matchday squad for the first time. The 19-year-old goalkeeper has made four appearances for the reserves in Germany's fourth tier so far this season, conceding eight goals.
MORE ON THOSE TEAMS
Lucas Hernandez and Thomas Müller return to the Bayern starting line-up. Dayot Upamecano and Jamal Musiala make way. As for Inter, Andre Onana is preferred to Samir Handonovic in goal. Defender Danilo D'Ambrosio, ex-Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Germany international left-back Robin Gosens and former Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko also come in.
BAYERN STARTING LINE-UP
Neuer (c) - Pavard, de Ligt, Hernandez, Davies - Kimmich, Sabitzer - Coman, Müller, Sane - Mane
"Bayern have the intensity and aggression to be one of the best teams in Europe. Our fans will be a big help. We know the opponent and their strengths. It's a very hard group."
NAGELSMANN'S VIEW
"The Champions League is always special. Hearing the anthem is always nice. We'll have to solve various situations. They'll sit deep. I'm looking forward to the game and am confident we can do well."
ALSO IN GROUP C
Robert Lewandowski's Barcelona are in action against Viktoria Plzen. The Lewy-Bayern reunion comes as soon as next week.
EUROPEAN GIANTS
Bayern have 31 Bundesliga titles, were crowned the best in Europe six times and won multiple other titles including the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Inter have lifted the Serie A title 19 times, been European champions on three occasions and won the old UEFA Cup three times.
HISTORY FAVOURS BAYERN
Bayern have won on each of their previous three trips to Inter. Their first was a 3-1 last-16 second-leg UEFA Cup victory in the 1988/89 season, which was followed by a 2-0 Bayern win in Group B of the 2006/07 Champions League competition. Bayern also picked up a 1-0 first-leg win in the last-16 of the 2010/11 edition and Thomas Müller is the sole survivor of that fixture in contention to feature this time around. It was a result that brought redemption for losing to Inter in the UCL final the previous year.
INTER - HOT AND COLD
Serie A runners-up last term, Inter have lost two of their last three league matches. A week after coming up short against Lazio, Simone Inzaghi's team suffered a 3-2 reverse at the hands of defending champions AC Milan on Saturday. Five matches into the new campaign, they occupy eighth place in the standings.
4:02
WATCH: SADIO MANE - WORLD STAR
With five goals and five more of the disallowed variety, Mane has hit the ground running at Bayern.
SO FAR, SO GOOD
Bayern have already scored 26 goals across six games in all competitions this season. They hit five in wins over Leipzig and Viktoria Cologne, while putting six past Eintracht and going one better in the 7-0 destruction of Bochum - all those results coming away from home. There have been 12 different scorers in that time, with Sadio Mane leading the way on five goals.
WELCOME!
Bayern Munich begin their UEFA Champions League campaign away to Inter Milan. They're unbeaten in all competitions so far this season - can the six-time European champions kick off Group C with a bang? Stay tuned!
