Bayern turned in easily their best performance of the new season to record a first league win on Bundesliga matchday 3 with a fully deserved 4-1 triumph against outclassed Hertha BSC Berlin. The result moves the champions up to seventh in the standings on five points.
A 69,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw the home side dominate the visitors from the capital in every area of the field. Luca Toni set his side on the way with his first goal of the campaign on 12 minutes, before Philipp Lahm doubled the advantage with his maiden goal at home for the men in red nine minutes after the break. Bastian Schweinsteiger (56) and Miroslav Klose (70) both converted penalties, Klose claiming his first top flight goal since 1 March, before Marko Pantelic grabbed a consolation for the visitors six minutes from time.
Micho returns
Midweek signing Massimo Oddo was not considered for Sunday's match, but fit-again Martin Demichelis made a first appearance of term, while Zé Roberto shook off a sprain to resume his place in midfield. Mark van Bommel missed the game with suspension, and Hamit Altintop was sidelined due to a foot injury. Olympics participants José Ernesto Sosa and Breno made the squad for the first time, alongside newly-signed number two keeper Hans Jörg Butt.
Klinsmann opted for a three-man back line against Berlin's solitary striker, with five in midfield orchestrated by Schweinsteiger and Zé Roberto. The Bavarians utterly dominated the early exchanges, passing crisply and pressing their opponents into errors of control on the rare occasions they claimed possession.
The early offensive bore fruit after 12 minutes when Schweinsteiger threaded a pass through to Toni, who deftly turned defender Steve von Bergen and slotted past keeper Jaroslav Drobny to open the scoring. The home side maintained the pressure, but Andreas Ottl (16), Klose (23) and Demichelis (32) missed the target, and Drobny was equal to Toni's 15-yard effort.
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