Sané shines as Bayern ease past Inter

FC Bayern beat Inter Milan 2-0 on Wednesday night, getting their Champions League campaign off to a winning start and extending their record in Europe's elite club competition by winning their 19th opening fixture in succession. Leroy Sané broke the deadlock in the first half before Danilo D'Ambrosio tried to clear but put through his own goal midway through the second half.

The Bavarians started with Manuel Neuer in goal and Benjamin Pavard, Matthijs de Ligt, Lucas Hernández and Alphonso Davies in a back four. Joshua Kimmich and Marcel Sabitzer featured in midfield behind Kingsley Coman, Thomas Müller and Sané, with Sadio Mané up front. Leon Goretzka, Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry, Josip Stanišić and Jamal Musala came on for Sabitzer, de Ligt, Coman, Hernández and Sané in the second half.

Leroy opens

Once referee Clément Turpin had set events in motion, the match got off to a lively start. Kimmich saw an effort saved before Lautaro Martínez fired wide at the other end. Inter keeper Andre Onana proved equal to a Müller effort, Denzel Dumfries hitting the side-netting.

Neuer denied D'Ambrosio but Bayern asserted their authority after 20 minutes. Kimmich and Müller saw their shots saved but Munich soon took the lead thanks to individual quality, Kimmich's defence-splitting pass finding Sané, who impressed with a brilliant first touch before keeping his cool to beat Onana. Inter's Edin Dzeko miscued a header and Bayern missed a triple chance when Onana parried a Davies shot before Müller saw his effort blocked and Sabitzer's shot fizzed wide.

Reds weather storm

The Italians went looking for an equaliser after the interval. D'Ambrosio aimed too high and Neuer comfortably dealt with a Dzeko shot, but the pendulum swung the other way again, Coman seeing an effort deflected behind. Bayern almost doubled the lead when the ball slipped through Onana's hands before hitting the post. The second goal came seconds later, when Bayern produced a slick passing move and D'Ambrosio's clearance from Sané's square ended up in his own net.

Onana denied Mané, Goretzka saw an effort blocked and Gnabry fired over. Inter upped the pressure in the closing stages but failed to create any clear-cut chances as Munich sealed a comfortable victory in the opening group game ahead of next week's meeting with Barcelona at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern will be back in action on Saturday when they entertain Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.

Live match report for fcbayern.com by Greg Salmen