Bayern Munich claimed a valuable 2-0 win away at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening, returning from the heart of the Spanish capital with all three points in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League league phase.
The breakthrough arrived in the 54th minute, and it came courtesy of a naive error from Robin Le Normand. The defender received the ball inside his own area but dithered, failing to pass or clear. Lennart Karl pounced, nicked it off him and slotted into the net, punishing an unexpected gift from the hosts.
Konrad Laimer doubled the lead in the 74th minute. He collected a wonderful pass from Harry Kane, burst into the box and unleashed a rocket that nestled into the net, settling the contest in Bayern's favour.
The German side thought they had a third in the 80th minute, only for the referee to disallow it after a VAR review for a foul by Dayot Upamecano. That left the margin at two clean goals.
Bayern controlled the run of play for most of the match, dominating possession and dictating the rhythm. Atletico leaned on counter-attacks but never seriously threatened Manuel Neuer's goal.
Impressively, the Bavarians overcame a raft of recent absences, particularly in attack. Jamal Musiala, Luis Diaz, Serge Gnabry and Ismael Sibari all sat out, while coach Vincent Kompany was laid low by illness. Still they produced a strong display and snatched a deserved win on Spanish soil.
The victory lifted Bayern to 8 points and up to eighth in the league phase standings. Atletico stayed frozen on 4 points, slipping to 22nd after a second defeat in the competition.