Werder Bremen 0-4 Bayern Munich: Reigning champions kick off campaign with win as Harry Kane scores on league debut – Reuters

Bayern Munich got off to a winning start in their Bundesliga opener against Werder Bremen, with a brace from Leroy Sane, an opening goal from Harry Kane and a late strike from Mathys Tel giving them a 4-0 win at the Weserstadion.

It was as good as it gets for Bayern in the first half despite a dominant display. They entered the break having amassed 76 per cent possession and taken 11 shots against Werder’s, but long-range efforts from Musiala, Noussair Mazraoui and Leon Goretzka came closest to increasing their lead.

Werder burst blocks after the restart, Mitchell Weiser, Leonardo Bittencourt and Niclas Fullkrug squandered chances in quick succession. Bayern responded with Kingsley Coman, who turned on his heels at the edge of the area before curling in a shot that ricocheted off the base of the post.

Kane settled it with a quarter of an hour to go, collecting a single pass from Alphonso Davies before finding the bottom corner to make it 2-0. It capped a great all-around performance from Bayern’s £100m signing, with Sane and Tel adding shine to the scoreline later on.

Kane shows his true worth. Although he could get by with just one goal and one assist on his league debut for Bayern, Kane’s contribution went much further.

As Werder looked to hit back on the counterattack in the first half, he regularly appeared in Bayern’s penalty area to deflect crosses and contribute defensively. When he struggled for space and serve, he dropped deep to chain the attack. There were glimmers of promise in his budding partnership with Sane and Coman, with Kane providing the pivot down the middle as Bayern’s wide men roared either side of him. If he needed a break-in period in Germany, it was less than a week.

Harry Kane (Bayern Munich). While Sane deserves plaudits for two well-scored goals, no one did more than Kane to secure victory.

After missing his first silverware as Bayern let the DFL-Supercup slip through his fingers, it was the best answer he could have given.

Werder Bremen: Pavlenka 6, Pieper 5, Veljkovic 5, Freidl 6, Weiser 6, Lynen 5, Jung 5, Stage 5, Bittencourt 6, Fullkrug 7, Ducksch 5

Subtitles: Burke 4, Gross 4, Schmid 4, Kownacki N/A, Opitz N/A

Bayern Munich: Ulreich 7, Mazraoui 7, Upamecano 6, Kim 6, Davies 8, Kimmich 6, Goretzka 6, Sane 8, Musiala 8, Coman 7, Kane 9

Subtitles: De Ligt 6, Laimer 5, Choupo-Moting 6, Muller 7, Tel 7

4′ GOAL! Musiala wins a loose ball in midfield, triggering a Bayern counterattack. Kane sends the ball behind for Sane, who bursts through a huge hole in the Werder defense before weaving under Pavlenka for the first goal of the new Bundesliga campaign.

8′ NO GOAL! Fullkrug wins a clever free kick from Dayot Upamecano on the left of the box. Marvin Ducksch steps in and whips in a delivery, setting up Fullkrug to power a belt header past Sven Ulreich. Unfortunately for him, the offside flag is up. A VAR check confirms Fullkrug was in an offside position.

58′ ON THE AMOUNT! Coman spins on the edge of the box and curls in a shot that hits the base of the far post and flies away.

74′ GOAL! And there we have it. Davies makes a driving run down the left and plays a neat ball to Kane in the middle, who sweeps a shot into the bottom corner.

GOAL 90′! This fixes the problem. Sane polishes the score late, finishing off a neat passing move from close range.

90+4′ GOAL! A 4-0 loss looks tough for Werder, but their defense is in pieces. Tel improves Bayern’s win by hitting Pavlenka just inside the box.

• According to Opta, Kane is the second English player to score a goal on his Bundesliga debut after Reiss Nelson for Hoffenheim.
• Coming late in the game, providing the assist for Sane’s second goal, Thomas Muller has now featured in 16 different Bundesliga seasons for Bayern. He is the first player to reach this milestone in club history.