Going forward arm in arm: Bayern start with a bang

After the final whistle, the players stood arm in arm in front of the Südkurve. The fans lifted their scarves aloft as another classic rang out from the stand: “Deutscher Meister wird nur der FCB!” (“Only FCB will be German champions!”)

It was sheer delight after a flying start to the Bundesliga campaign. And, most of all, it was a strong signal: we’re going again. We’re not letting up. We’re staying with it. And we’re certainly not done yet!

The 5-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart on Friday was not an evening of comfortably easing into the 2026/27 season, but it sent out a first message. FC Bayern had to overcome resistance, recover from a minor setback – and then showed the reaction of a great team.

FCB defy resistance

“It’s not just about how we start,” summarised coach Vincent Kompany. “We’ll try to keep going with what we’ve been doing in recent years, playing with lot of energy, endeavour and obviously always scoring goals. The guys showed that again today. We all start from zero. We’ve not won anything yet. The hunger needs to be like on the first day.”

Stuttgart pressed aggressively and caused Bayern problems in the opening minutes. Yet the longer the game went on, the better the champions found their rhythm. Initial unease turned into control, and control turned into dominance

Kane still impresses further back

The first clear signal came from Michael Olise, whose free kick crashed against the crossbar. Soon after that, Bayern struck from a set piece: Joshua Kimmich delivered a precise corner into the penalty area, where Dayot Upamecano rose high to head in the opening goal on 21 minutes. It was a goal that reflected this period of the game: forced in with pwoer. 

The German record champions gradually moved through the gears as their passing became slicker and the spaces were better identified. Harry Kane once again stood out. Even though the Englishman didn’t get on the scoresheet himself on this occasion, he had a big influence on the Reds’ play, regularly dropping back to link up play and playing good balls in behind.

VfB tried to take him out of the game with tight man-marking – Jeff Chabot followed him all over the pitch at times. But Kane’s movements opened up spaces for the attackers running in.

The impression of Munich dominance wasn’t just a feeling, but was also proven by the statistics. In total FCB registered 21 attempts on goal, nine on target and six big chances. A look at the expected goals paints an even clearer picture, with 3.93 to 0.86. The 49 touches in the opposition box are further evidence of how consistently Bayern built up pressure after the early difficulties. The only slight shortcoming was the chance conversion – not the system of play.

Stuttgart captain Deniz Undav also acknowledged the Bavarians’ superiority. “Bayern just take their chances,” said the striker. “I think if Fabi Bredlow hadn’t had such a good day, we could’ve conceded eight or nine.”

After the break, however, Kompany’s side were briefly pegged back. A moment of inattention, combined with strong Stuttgart pressing, led to the equaliser from Josha Vagnoman (52’). It was an indication that in this early stage of the season, even more consistency is required in every action. Against sides who play as bravely as VfB, it can only take a few moments for a game to turn again.

However, Bayern’s response was virtually immediate – and it said a lot about the shape of this Bayern side. Olise made it 2-1 (55’), followed just two minutes later by Vagnoman’s own goal. Aleksandar Pavlović (82’) and Luis Díaz (90’+2) wrapped up the win in the closing stages. These goals were proof that this team are not easily shaken.

Setback? Quickly shaken off. Next chance, next goal. Bayern kept the tempo high and kept forcing the visitors into difficult situations.

“We just keep going, don’t stop and score our goals,” said Pavlović afterwards. “Obviously it’s a great feeling being able to celebrate with the fans again after such a long time.”

New signings make their mark

Bayern don’t look like a team who are resting on their successes of last season. The confidence is there, the automatisms are already coming back in a lot of moments. “Our identity is the basis,” summarised board member for sport Max Eberl.

It also became clear how effectively the squad has been strengthened in the right areas. Nathaniel Brown operated in the central number 10 role, while Ismael Saibari enjoyed an excellent Bundesliga debut as a substitute with two assists. In other good news on a successful opening night, Lennart Karl made his comeback from injury.

Manuel Neuer assessed it accordingly. “Starting the season like that is a dream. It’s the result we’d wished for,” said the captain after his 600th appearance for Bayern. “Conceding always annoys you, but you can’t prevent every situation so easily against a good team like Stuttgart. We’ll now try to keep going and do our job. Osnabrück is the next tough task. We won’t let up.”

This match could prove valuable for the coming weeks. Bayern are back in action already on Wednesday in the DFB Cup first round against VfL Osnabrück.

FCB and their fans have seen where work is still required: on chance conversion and on the resilience to high pressing.

But that made the scenes at the end in front of the Südkurve even more fitting. The Bayern players took the applause but didn’t give the impression that anything was settled with this opening win.

It was only a first step, but already heading in the direction that FC Bayern want to go in again this season: always forward!

All the post-match reaction after the win over Stuttgart: