'They're one of the favourites' - Jens Petter Hauge praises ruthless Bayern Munich after Bodo/Glimt defeat

Bodo/Glimt were made to pay for a second-half collapse as they were comprehensively beaten 5-0 by Bayern in Thursday's Champions League league-phase opener.

The Norwegian outfit produced a disciplined defensive display to keep the hosts at bay during a goalless first half before their momentum unravelled following an injury to their first-choice goalkeeper Nikita Haikin.

Jamal Musiala's strike, Harry Kane's historic header, an Alphonso Davies piledriver, and a Michael Olise brace ultimately secured a dominant victory for Vincent Kompany's men.

Acknowledging the clear gulf in quality and physical staying power over the 90 minutes, Hauge praised the immense depth of the hosts, labelling them as genuine contenders for the continental crown.

Reflecting on the contest after the final whistle, the winger stated: "It was very difficult, Bayern are an excellent team. We didn't have the quality or the power to keep it up for 90 minutes today. We also have a very good team and lots of quality, we can play well against any opponents, but need to do better than we did today."

Underlining his assessment of the tournament's leading contenders, Hauge added: "Bayern are certainly one of the favourites for me, but obviously there are also teams like Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona."

Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen also gave credit to the German giants' superior firepower while lamenting the defensive breakdown that derailed his team after the interval.

Congratulating the Bundesliga heavyweights, the manager said: "Congratulations to Bayern. They're a very good team with very strong individual players. I'm very satisfied with the first half. We executed our plan very well, defended well and had opportunities to counter."

Highlighting the pivotal loss of his goalkeeper, Knutsen added: "Unfortunately we lost our keeper due to injury. We then had problems in the second half and lost our way. That wasn't good and I'm disappointed about that."

Bodo/Glimt must regroup rapidly and resolve their defensive cohesion following Odin Bjortuft's late dismissal in Munich. A demanding schedule in the Champions League league phase requires Knutsen's squad to rediscover their collective resilience across a vital run of upcoming home and away fixtures. Addressing the shortcomings exposed at the Allianz Arena will be crucial if they are to sustain their push for a place in the knockout stages.