Bayern Munich kicked off their Champions League campaign with another victory, taking down Inter Milan at the San Sirio 2-0. Leroy Sane got the opening goal via a wonderful first touch before causing the second one, an unfortunate Danilo D'Ambrosio own goal. Inter will have to thank keeper Andre Onana for keeping the match within reach despite facing 11 shots during the match.
Worry is building for Inter Milan after a Derby della Madonnina loss to AC Milan caused heavy rotation with captain Samir Handanovic and key player Nicolo Barella benched by Simone Inzaghi. But that wasn't enough as Bayern dominated the match from start to finish as Inter only put two shots on target. While they can play as a defensive side at times, Inter wasn't toothless in attack by design on Wednesday as possession didn't drastically favor Bayern Munich, but the German side was able to do much much more with the ball when they had it. With this showing, Inzaghi's seat is getting hotter in Italy while Julian Naglesmann's side put on a clinic in game management.
Without Romelu Lukaku, Inter wanted to get the ball to Lautaro Martinez to make things happen but Lucas Hernandez and Matthijs de Ligt were onto the gameplan, also limiting the chances that Hakan Calhanoglu could create. Usually, when Calhanoglu has an off night, Barella is there to back him up, but that's where benching him made things too easy for Bayern. Joshua Kimmich had a strong day in midfield assisting Sane's goal while also taking five shots when he had space to get forward.
Sane did the hard work on the goal with his first touch, but it still took quite a pass for Kimmich to find him:
Here are a few takeaways from the match:
While Bayern Munich took 21 shots for an xG of 2.54, a lot of those shots were speculative efforts from outside the box that were easy to deal with for Onana. It's a match where Robert Lewandowski would've feasted like his hat trick for Barcelona in their opening group stage game but Bayern seemed tentative in the final third. Kingsley Coman and Sadio Mane were barely able to get on the ball but outside of Mathys Tel, there isn't a clear striker that can be tossed in when the team is struggling. Considering that Tel is only 17, too much pressure shouldn't be placed on his shoulders yet but the team could be playing through Sane more than they expected as he was dangerous and direct.
Facing a team with more attacking power than Inter, this is a match that likely ends in at least a draw like their most recent Bundesliga fixtures. Teams know that if you sit back versus Bayern, you can limit their chances and that has been working to good effect so far.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan's inclusion was supposed to give Calhanoglu someone to play off of, and it didn't work as most of his passes ended up in turnovers going the other way. Creating no chances and not taking a shot, it was easy to forget that Mkhitaryan was on the pitch or that Inter even had a midfield for large parts of the game. When the wing-backs aren't offering support from wide, it can turn into a stale match that gave Milan Skrinar and Alessandro Bastoni too much work to do in defense. They did what they could to limit Bayern Munich, but if you let the German giants drive through the center of the pitch, it's only going to end badly. With Inter already struggling, could that be enough to see Inzaghi be the next manager dismissed?
Things don't get easier for Bayern Munich with a home match versus Stuttgart Saturday. They'll need to work some of the attacking issues out of their system in that match as the turnaround in three days will see Lewandowski return with Barcelona. Having some of the issues that were on display versus Inter while hosting Barcelona won't see Bayern leave with an easy three points.
It's a slightly better outlook for Inter as they'll host Torino on Saturday. Torino have a stout defense only allowing five goals in Serie A pay but their attack won't give Inter Milan too much trouble. For their Champions League match Tuesday, it will be a must-win tie with Viktoria Plzen, who just conceded five goals to Barcelona. It's not that they have to win to stay in the competition, but with such a challenging start, anything but three points will see their hands approach the panic button.
Bayern Munich dominated from start to finish ripping off 21 shots but they couldn't turn up the heat to make more than two goals come from it. Plenty of room for improvement but it's easier to do that with three points in the bag.
But it still feels like they should be doing more. 19 shots in the match but they aren't working the ball into the box as much as they could be with only 11 of those shots on target. Inter have packed in well but it feels like Bayern are playing at half speed.
It may go down as an own goal for D'Ambrosio but Leroy Sane did what was needed to create the chance after being played in by Coman.
While Inter Milan are pushing to equalise, Bayern Munich had some chances but they need to close the match as soon as possible otherwise it can become an issue in the final part of the clash.
In the second half, Inter has been the better side as Bayern's attack can't get into space despite their best efforts. Is it time to dip into the bench?
That's better as Calhanoglu and Martinez combined to give D'Ambrosio a shot from a tight angle. While he couldn't put it on target, it's better chance creation than we saw in the first half as Calhanoglu needs to be able to impact the match.
Inter should thank their lucky stars for Onana as without him this match could already be out of hand. Already with eight saves in the first half, something needs to be done to protect Onana in the second half. Bayern will want more goals as they've turned 13 shots into only one goal from Leroy Sane which has been the main issue that the team has faced during the season. They're getting into good positions but someone needs to finish the shots sooner than later.
While both defense and strikers are working fine as of now, the main issue of Inter Milan is in the midfield, with Marcelo Brozovic and Hakan Calhanoglu who are struggling quite a lot. Same for Denzel Dumfries on the right side, who is also responsible in the occasion of the first goal conceded by Inter.
Pushing 55% possession, the German giants have ripped off 13 shots with 11 of those testing Onana. IT's going to be a long night in Italy as Inter have collapsed into a shell early as Onana is left with so much to do.
It's 1-0 Bayern from a brilliant touch from Leroy Sane. Onana had no choice but to come out but he had no chance of stopping that goal.
Sane set up Muller but Onana used his length to reach the ball without issue to clear the danger. Bayern are coming closer through.
It was a solid start of the match from both sides, with Inter Milan also having some chances but Bayern are controlling the match as of now. Inzaghi's changes seem to work until now, with Andre Onana who had a pretty good start when he was called in action.
Bayern have been fluid on the break but can't find the final ball versus Inter playing a back five. Defensively, Inter are still having even possession but they haven't been as effective in the final third to begin the match as they've only taken speculative shots early in the match.
Both teams are feeling each other out in the early going. Kingsley Coman had the best shot of the match so far but Inter haven't been overrun so far.
About four minutes until we're off at the San Siro.
Beppe Marotta, the CEO of Inter Milan, spoke about the future of Milan Skriniar before the match against Bayern: "Skriniar is a key player and we will do our best to keep him, it's also up to the player whether he wants to sign new deal or not, we are optimistic. Lukaku's future to change after Tuchel sack? Too early, we'll see with Chelsea at the end of season".
The two sides have entered the pitch for the pre-match training. Atmosphere is getting hot here in San Siro with both Inter Milan and Bayern Munich fans pretty loud in the stands.
James Benge took a look.
Bayern Munich (2): They might have been thrown into the group of death but don't expect them to show their mortality. Further down the line a season of romping past what does not seem to be the stiffest of Bundesliga competition might leave them untested, but right now Julian Nagelsmann's clutch of forwards seem to be hitting even greater heights in the free-flowing post-Robert Lewandowski era.
Inter Milan (9): They offered quite the stern test to Liverpool last season and in holding on to Milan Skriniar they profile to head into this year's competition a stronger, more experienced group. Indeed put them in another group and they might just shoot up the rankings. The reality however is that they may have unwittingly found themselves in a straight knockout round against Barcelona already, one where Simone Inzaghi will hope his side's years of experience together pays dividends.
After losing 3-2 the Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan, coach Simone Inzaghi made some relevant changes in his lineup tonight. Captain Samir Handanovic was benched and Andre Onana makes his debut as goalkeeper. Also, key player Nicolò Barella is on the bench and Henrikh Mkhitaryan starts against Bayern Munich. Same for Robin Gosens on the left wing and Edin Dzeko upfront, who will play alongside Lautaro Martinez. The captain of today's match will be Danilo D'Ambrosio, who plays instead of De Vrij in the back-three defense.
Inter XI: Onana; D'Ambrosio, Skriniar, Bastoni; Dumfries, Mkhitaryan, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Gosens; Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez.
Bayern Munich XI: Neuer; Pavard, De Ligt, Hernandez, Davies; Kimmich, Sabitzer, Coman, Müller; Sané, Mané.
Date: Wednesday, Sep. 7 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: San Siro -- Milan, Italy
TV and live stream: Paramount+
Odds: Inter Milan +285; Draw +300; Bayern Munich -118 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Less than two hours to go before the kick off of the Champions League's clash between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich in Milan. San Siro will be sold out with the fans that are already in line outside the gates of the stadium.
I'll be joined by Francesco Porzio as we have coverage from the San Siro for what should be an interesting clash. Inter and Bayern Munich haven't started the season as expected and in a deep group from top to bottom, both teams need the points today to kick off their Champions League campaigns.
