Bayern Munich kicked off their quest to regain the Bundesliga title from Bayer Leverkusen with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Wolfsburg on Sunday. The winning goal was scored by Serge Gnabry in the late stages of the match after Bayern allowed Wolfsburg to take the lead 2-1 early in the second half.
Vincent Kompany made his league coaching debut, while Michael Olise made his first league start, but it was former Bayern favourite Thomas Müller who made the difference as he came on as a substitute for his record-breaking 474th Bundesliga appearance. The 34-year-old immediately made an impact when he came on in the 65th minute, as Jakub Kaminski scored an unfortunate own goal to equalize for Bayern after a corner. Müller was involved again in the 82nd minute when he set up Gnabry for the winning goal, with Harry Kane providing the assist.
Wolfsburg started the game strong, denying Bayern time on the ball, but the visiting team gradually settled and took the lead in the 20th minute through Jamal Musiala. However, Wolfsburg fought back after the break when Tiago Tomás was fouled by Sacha Boey, who was subsequently booked. Lovro Majer equalised from the penalty spot for Wolfsburg. Despite this setback, Bayern dominated the rest of the first half. Wolfsburg came close to taking the lead when Majer hit the post, and they eventually did so in the 55th minute when Patrick Wimmer set up Majer for their second goal. Kompany praised his team’s mentality in their response to these mistakes, saying that they created chances and their performance remained consistent throughout the game.
St. Pauli’s return to the top division after 13 years ended in a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Heidenheim. The second-division champions had better chances and looked more likely to score before Bayern loanee Paul Wanner broke the deadlock for Heidenheim in the 66th minute. Jan Schöppner sealed the visitors’ win in the 82nd minute.
