Bayern Munich dismantle Union Berlin 7-0 in Allianz Arena rout
Bayern Munich put on a masterclass at the Allianz Arena, beating Union Berlin 7-0 in the Bundesliga's fourth round on Thursday evening. The hosts dominated from the opening whistle, and the result tells its own story without needing embellishment. It was a performance that left little doubt about where the gulf lies between these two sides this season.
Jamal Musiala opened the scoring in the eighteenth minute, and Harry Kane added a penalty just before half-time after Felix Uduokhai had picked up a yellow card in the thirty-eighth. Michael Olise rounded off the first-half business with a goal in the forty-third, and Bayern had already put the tie beyond doubt by then. Dayot Upamecano was substituted at the break, replaced by Emmanuel Latte Lath as the visitors tried to find some foothold.
The second half continued in the same vein. Kane struck again in the fifty-fourth, and Ismael Saibari joined the scoresheet in the seventieth. Olise completed his hat-trick with two goals in quick succession, the first in the seventy-third and the second in the seventy-sixth. We had tipped this for Bayern — seventy per cent confidence, and the forecast held true. The margin of victory was never in question once the visitors lost their shape.
Bayern accumulated 15 shots on target from 18 attempts, with an expected goals tally of 3.69 against a mere 0.34 for Union. Possession sat at 68 per cent for the hosts, who created six big chances while their opponents managed just one. Union made 40 clearances and failed 74 passes, a reflection of how little time they had on the ball. Bayern's 586 successful passes compared to 223 tells you everything about who controlled the game.
Bayern move top of the table with ten points from four games, three wins and a draw. Union remain in sixteenth place with a single point from four matches, having lost three and drawn once. The gap between them is now twenty points, and if this is anything to go by, the visitors face a long campaign ahead of them.
