An away trip to Atletico Madrid is one of European football's most thankless tasks. For almost 30 years, every German team had failed there, more or less miserably. Then a Bayern Munich side battered on several fronts claimed a remarkable 2-0 victory at the Estadio Metropolitano on this Tuesday in November 2026.
Bayern Munich could hardly have arrived in worse shape. Recent weeks had brought an almost unbroken run of bad news: the death of Joshua Kimmich's father, the collapse of coach Vincent Kompany, and an injury crisis that had left the attack particularly depleted. They had also slipped up against FC Augsburg and Viking Stavanger before Saturday's late equaliser in the Bundesliga top-of-the-table clash against Borussia Dortmund.
Yet in Madrid, interim head coach Aaron Dank's team played as though they had been in sync for weeks and had a winning run behind them. They looked much like Bayern Munich for much of last season.
After heated debate, Lennart Karl responds on the pitch
"It was simply a world-class performance," enthused sporting director Max Eberl afterwards. His team had "done almost everything right from the first minute to the last". Captain Manuel Neuer, back after recovering, said: "That was total dominance from the first minute to the 93rd. Whatever Atletico put in front of us, we always had an answer."
Bayern Munich avoided Atletico-style skirmishes, denying the often fervent Metropolitano crowd a chance to get worked up. Diego Simeone repeatedly prowled from his technical area onto the pitch in his customary emotional fashion, but Bayern did not let Atletico's coach distract them. Nor did they lose their composure when their early dominance produced barely any chances, let alone goals.
In the 54th minute, Lennart Karl finally broke through. Karl, who had been discussed more than any other Bayern Munich player in recent weeks, had faced criticism over too much social media and too little humility. Honorary president Uli Hoeneß had announced a "serious conversation" with the 18-year-old. Now Karl had his answer on the pitch, the first major positive for Bayern Munich.
Getty ImagesBayern Munich can do it without Kane and Olise in sparkling form
Right-back Konrad Laimer made it 2-0 in the 74th minute to settle the contest. Neither Harry Kane nor Michael Olise scored. The same had happened in the 2-2 draw against Dortmund, when Laimer and Dayot Upamecano had also scored.
Kane has now gone three games without a goal. After squandering chances against BVB, the world footballer failed to score from five shots in Madrid, though he set up Laimer's goal for 2-0. Olise had finished the Dortmund game carrying a knock and lacked his usual sharpness in Madrid. The Frenchman worked hard and saw plenty of the ball, but repeatedly got stuck while dribbling, turned back or went to ground.
Concern over their form is understandable, but Kane and Olise have shown enough quality and consistency over recent months to suggest they will soon find their rhythm again. More encouraging for Bayern Munich is that they beat a top opponent without their two biggest stars at their best. They also did it without Luis Diaz, Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry and Ismael Saibari.
IMAGOBayern Munich keep a clean sheet for the first time after seven games
After conceding at least once in each of their previous seven games, Bayern Munich kept a clean sheet in Madrid. Defensive leader Dayot Upamecano played the biggest part and was Munich's best player at the Metropolitano.
Alongside him, central defensive partner Jonathan Tah, who had been struggling recently, recovered from a difficult start and put himself back in contention with Min-Jae Kim. Full-backs Laimer and Josip Stanisic attacked with exceptional willingness without neglecting their defensive duties. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had practically nothing to do on his return.
The win moved Bayern Munich up to eighth in the table, at least for now, a position that would be enough for direct qualification for the round of 16. After the setbacks of recent weeks, they underlined their status as one of the outright favourites for the Champions League title. Should Bayern Munich return to the Metropolitano for the final on 5 June 2027, this victory may come to be seen as the emotional turning point of their season.
Bayern Munich: their upcoming matches
Date | Competition | Match |
Saturday, 7 November (15.30) | Bundesliga | Mainz 05 vs. Bayern Munich |
Friday, 20 November (20.30) | Bundesliga | Bayern Munich vs. 1. FC Köln |
Wednesday, 25 November (21.00) | Champions League | OSC Lille vs. Bayern Munich |
Saturday, 28 November (15.30) | Bundesliga | Hamburger SV vs. Bayern Munich |