Bayern Munich handed Inter Milan a footballing lesson in their UEFA Champions League opener at the Giuseppe Meazza on Wednesday.
The titanic opening round fixture between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich did not disappoint as it gave a clear indication of both sides’ prospects in the competition.
What started off on an even footing petered out into a show of dominance from Bayern as they put the Nerazzurri to the sword. In fact, such was Bayern’s dominance on the night that Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana found himself in with a shout of being named the home side’s best player.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper was called into action time and again as Bayern rained shots onto the Inter goal. Leroy Sane finally broke the deadlock in the 25th minute. Julian Nagelsmann’s men were relentless and kept the pressure up on the Inter goal.
However, Bayern had to wait until the 65th minute to make the points secure as Danilo D’Ambrosio put the ball through his own net to make the score 2-0. While the Inter defender can be deemed unfortunate, it was scarcely anything less than what Bayern deserved.
19 – FC Bayern have won their opening match in the #UCL for the 19th time in a row, extending the record run in the @ChampionsLeague. Gigantic. #InterFCB pic.twitter.com/6jckctw3mG
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) September 7, 2022
Inter had their moments, with Lautaro Martinez, in particular, moving into space when possible. Unfortunately, he lacked the clinical touch to see any moves through. In many ways, the loss displays just how far Inter need to go before challenging the best teams in Europe. Bayern, meanwhile, look nigh on unstoppable and remain hungry as ever. They will take some stopping this season. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sets of players fared on the night.
Inter Milan
Andre Onana: 7/10
Onana made his debut on the night and gave an excellent account of his short-stopping abilities. He stood up well to Bayern peppering his goal with shots and also displayed excellent command of the area. His agility to not stay inert and come out to claim high balls makes him a viable alternative to Samir Handanovic, Onana was one of the few Inter players who walked off the pitch with his pride and reputation intact.
10 – André Onana made 10 saves in #InterBayern, more than any other goalkeeper for Inter in a UEFA Champions League match since Opta started collecting this kind of data (since 2003/04). Catlike.#UCL pic.twitter.com/0gYVr8340p
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) September 8, 2022
Danilo D’Ambrosio: 4/10
The Inter skipper put in a rudderless performance that saw his defence be all but out at sea. He did not react quickly enough for Sane’s opener and compounded his miserable night by scoring an own goal in the second half.
Milan Skriniar: 5/10
Skriniar gave a decent account of himself but could do little to stem Bayern’s relentless pressing. He made a few minor errors, but Onana was at hand to save his skin. Skriniar will need to improve if he is to keep up with the mobile attacks from across Europe.
Alessandro Bastoni: 5/10
The youngster is still some way off his best but put his Milan derby disaster class behind him. He showed conviction and was comfortable with the ball at his feet. While Bastoni did not particularly stand out, he did make things difficult for Kinglsey Coman at times.
Denzel Dumfries: 4/10
Dumfries made several runs upfield and looked to arrive at the back post to find the net. However, it is a good thing that he is a footballer and not a chiropractor as his first touch was horrendous. Dumfries struggled to get into the rhythm all night and it came as little surprise when he was taken off for Matteo Darmian in the 71st minute.
Henrikh Mkitaryan: 6/10
The Armenian playmaker only recently got back from an injury layoff but was comfortably the Nerazzuri’s best player in the midfield. He appeared rusty at times and also made several mistakes. However, he recovered well and also held his own against a far superior German midfield.
Marcelo Brozovic: 4/10
The Croat’s body language and performance left much to be desired. On a night where Inzaghi needed his midfield general to step up, Brozovic went AWOL. Joshua Kimmich grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, and Brozovic could do little to relinquish the German’s hold on dictating the game.
Hakan Calhanoglu: 4/10
The Turk did little to put the Bayern defence under threat but lacked the same imagination going forward. He created little of note and failed to provide service to Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko.
Robin Gosens: 5/10
The former Atalanta man showed the drive and desire to get forward whenever possible. However, he lacked the cutting edge and willing teammates who were willing to move into space. Gosens provides some dynamism and should be handed a more prominent role in the weeks to come.
Edin Dzeko: 6/10
The Bosnian started off well and got into some promising positions. His decision making was infuriating in the early minutes as he failed to play the right players into space. Dzeko clearly had his moments but Inter should not be relying upon a 36-year-old to win them the game.
Meanwhile Edin Dzeko is playing on a one bar Wi-Fi connection. If he got any slower or clumsier he’d turn into a slug.
— Jake Smalley (@JakeSmalley8) September 7, 2022
Lautaro Martinez: 6/10
The Argentine started brightly and saw an early effort whiz past the goal. He worked his socks off and was involved in almost any attacking move Inter put together. Had he been more clinical, Inter might well have come out of the game with a point.
SUBSTITUTES
Joaquin Correa: 3/10
Correa replaced Dzeko in the 71st minute and went on to audition for the role of the invisible man. He barely made a dent in the Bayern defence and frankly did little to write about.
Matteo Darmian: 5/10
The Italian veteran replaced Dumfries and added some solidity to the Inter Milan defence. He did offer little going forward.
Federico Dimarco: 5/10
Dimarco replaced Bastoni in the 71st minute and was aided by the fact that the game was all but done. He made a key block to deny Serge Gnabry late on and also earned himself a yellow card for a lunge on Thomas Muller.
Stefan de Vrij: 5/10
The Dutchman marshalled his defence well as Bayern just dominated the ball and kept Inter at siege. There was little for him to do as the Germans eased up and saw the game out.
Roberto Gagliardini: N/A
He replaced Calhanoglu in the 81st minute but saw little of the ball to influence proceedings.
Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer: 7/10
The German veteran denied D’Ambrosio in the first half before reacting smartly to stop Dzeko’s effort in the second half. He also ran into trouble late on but Correa failed to hit the target.
????? ?????! ?? @Manuel_Neuer #InterFCB #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/kfuJU8ioPR
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) September 7, 2022
Benjamin Pavard: 6/10
The Frenchman made a couple of good clearances and was available to push forward when Bayern had the ball. Gosens could have caused him some problems had the other Inter players also crowded their left-flank.
Matthijs De Ligt: 7/10
A no-nonsense performance from the Dutchman who also earned himself a yellow card for a tackle on Brozovic that left the Croat rattled. He made way for Upamecano in the 75th minute, earning himself a well-earned rest.
Lucas Hernandez: 6/10
The Frenchman is a massive upgrade on Upamecano, and it showed. Martinez did trouble him a couple of times but Hernandez held his own and linked up well with de Ligt.
Alphonse Davies: 7/10
The left-back got opportunities to get forward and gave Dumfries plenty to worry about. He was involved in several forays forward and even forced Onana into a smart save in the first half. Davies can count himself unlucky to not make it onto the scoresheet.
Marcel Sabitzer: 7/10
The Austrian’s form is a far cry from the player who struggled to assert himself in Bavaria last season. Sabitzer was a dominant presence in the middle of the park and snuffed the life out of the Inter midfield. He could have ended the night with a goal and an assist on another day.
Joshua Kimmich: 8/10
The German international is the beating heart of the Bayern midfield, and he started off like a man possessed. Kimmich had several pops at goal but found no way past Onana. He then provided an inch-perfect pass to Sane who opened the scoring. Kimmich also provided several more dangerous crosses that had the Inter defence scrambling and kept Onana on his toes.
Joshua Kimmich wow. No other 6 in the world plays that pass over the top better & more consistently than him. Absolutely unreal.
— Raj Chohan (@rajsinghchohan) September 7, 2022
Kingsley Coman: 7/10
Coman used his pace and movement to great effect and linked up well with Kimmich and the other Bayern attackers. He also had a couple of pops at goal but was denied with some desperate last-ditch defending from the home side. He was taken off for Serge Gnabry in the 75th minute.
Thomas Muller: 7/10
Muller was a handful on the night and gave the Inter defence something to worry about. A playmaker and a goalscoring threat, the German can count himself unlucky to come away with nothing to show for his efforts. Onana once again was the man responsible for Muller going goalless on the night
Leroy Sane: 9/10
The former Manchester City man came off the back of a disappointing performance against Union Berlin and unleashed his fury onto the Inter Milan defence. Sane made several good runs behind the Inter backline and latched onto Kimmich’s long ball to beat Onana in the first half. His directness and pace gave the hosts much trouble, and they struggled to cope with his dynamism, forcing D’Ambrosio to put into his own goal in the second half.
10 – @leroy_sane has scored his 10th CL goal for FC Bayern – only Roy Makaay (10 apps) and Robert Lewandowski (16 apps) have reached 10 Champions League goals in fewer appearances for Bayern Munich than Sane (19 apps). Heritage. #InterFCB #UCL pic.twitter.com/2AwMubEmTD
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) September 7, 2022
Sadio Mane: 7/10
The former Liverpool attacker is a key cog in the Bayern attack. While he might lack Robert Lewandowski’s numbers, the ability to connect the mobile frontline into one single entity should get him credit. Mane linked up well with Sane for Bayern’s second and could have gotten himself on the scoresheet had he been more clinical.
SUBSTITUTES
Leon Goretzka: 6/10
The German midfielder continues to rediscover match fitness following an injury layoff. He replaced Sabitzer in the 61st minute and settled in well against a run-ragged Inter Milan midfield.
Serge Gnabry: 6/10
The German international replaced Coman and continued from the French ace left off. The game was all but settled at this point as Bayern took their foot off the gas. Dimarco denied him a goal with a sliding tackle in the dying minutes of the game.
Dayot Upamecano: 6/10
The Frenchman endured a difficult game against Union Berlin, and the minutes he received on Wednesday night will have come as a relief. Upamecano kept things simple and did not come out of his comfort zone as Bayern bossed the game.
Jamal Musiala: N/A
The youngster replaced Sane in the 84th minute. Bayern were in cruise control, and the German international had little reason to go all out.
Josip Stanisic: N/A
A late change for Lucas Hernandez as Bayern saw out the game.
