They were all around him straight away. Harry Kane, who had supplied the assist for this important and already fairly late 1-0 against FK Bodö/Glimt, pinched Jamal Musiala on the shoulder, Aleksandar Pavlovic hugged him, Jonathan Tah gave a slight bow as he shook his hand. It was more exuberant than a 1-0 in the 47th minute on the opening matchday of the Champions League against an underdog from Norway would usually bring, even if the finish itself, struck with conviction, was a lovely one.
Later, when Musiala went off, coach Vincent Kompany applauded him a little more warmly than usual too. Their embrace lasted a long time. "I and probably 75,000 in the stadium and many more in front of the television were delighted about this goal," Kompany said afterwards.
Getty ImagesJamal Musiala's goal against Bodö/Glimt was a double relief
Musiala's strike brought relief in two ways. It was the breakthrough in what had until then been a pretty laboured game against opponents who defended compactly and intelligently, one that eventually ended in a deserved 5-0 after 90 minutes. More importantly, Musiala had scored in his first start of this still very young season.
Just over three weeks have passed since Musiala, for the second time within a few days, slumped disorientated to the turf in a friendly and later explained it with "temporary absences that occur briefly but are easily treatable", which are attributable to a neurological dysfunction. By then Musiala had already been living with this form of epilepsy for more than a year without the public noticing. Presumably, the two collapses during the matches came in the course of a change in medication. After his brief appearance last weekend against Schalke, Kompany restored the playmaker to the starting line-up against Bodö.
"The fact he then makes it 1-0, those are the kinds of stories football writes, but the lad deserved it too," said Bayern sporting director Max Eberl. Musiala's goal still followed a clear pattern: alongside Joshua Kimmich, he had been Bayern's most conspicuous player in the laboured first half, working eagerly and at times even over-eagerly. It was almost as if he wanted to show himself that he was back.
What injury did Jamal Musiala have?
After the game, Musiala spoke openly on DAZN: "The feeling I had today is a feeling I haven't had for a while." Because it was not only the matter of the absences: after his serious fibula fracture at the Club World Cup, at a time when he was in absolutely top form, and a subsequent long rehabilitation period, it at times seemed as though he had lost trust in his body and his exorbitant abilities. Musiala often seemed to be lacking ease last season.
Following the World Cup, he also had an operation to remove a plate that had previously stabilised the shinbone after the fracture. "Now I want to get back to my level step by step with that light feeling on the pitch, with joy and fun," he explained. The "support from Bayern, the players and coaches, that really helped me."
Last season, Kompany had repeatedly stressed that he had absolutely no doubts Musiala would find his way back. Now he said: "We knew this moment would come. For Jamal, of course, it's fantastic. As a top player you need confidence to get into a rhythm. And of course moments like that are very, very important," he said.
Michael Olise only becomes world-class once Musiala is no longer on the pitch
Bayern would not be Bayern if Musiala's upturn did not also leave the coach with a problem to solve. The question of whom Kompany should field as the No 10 will not get any easier the more players return from injury.
Lennart Karl, for example, came on again against Bodö, as did new signing Ismael Saibari. Serge Gnabry will not stay injured forever either. All of them are flexible and can play in other positions too, but that does not necessarily make things easier for Kompany.
Then there is one special case. Michael Olise, who had long been largely invisible, did improve after Musiala's 1-0, but he only really reached world-class level once Musiala was on the bench and he was allowed to occupy the No 10 position, as he does with the French national team.
During the World Cup, the question had already come up whether Kompany would really be able to afford to keep using this gifted No 10 primarily on the right wing at Bayern. The Bayern coach's answer in all competitive matches so far, including the Super Cup, had simply been "Yes": Olise always operated from the right and, despite three goals and one assist, he had not been entirely convincing in the previous four games.
Against Bodö, that trend seemed to continue. Olise took a long time to get into the game, often ran into trouble with his dribbling and also showed a few shortcomings in his passing. But when Musiala made it 1-0, and when Bodö/Glimt then gave Bayern Munich more and more space, Olise blossomed. First he supplied the assist for Harry Kane's 2-0 with an excellent free-kick cross. Then, after Musiala was given a rest after 65 minutes and Olise moved into the middle, he scored his two goals as well.
Squad management, though, is one of Kompany's greatest strengths.