Bayern Munich set a European goal record on Sunday when they beat Cologne 3-2 to their first Bundesliga win under new coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Serge Gnabry scored twice and Robert Lewandowski scored the other goal to ensure Bayern became the only team among Europe’s top five leagues to score in 74 consecutive games in all competitions. This run started after a 0-0 win against Leipzig in February 2020 when Nagelsmann was in charge of Leipzig. Bayern previously shared the record with Real Madrid.
FC Bayern, which is aiming for a record-breaking Bundesliga title for the tenth time in a row, played the opening game of the league 1: 1 against Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend.
The defending champion wanted to make it up, but received no gifts from the hard-working Cologne team of the new coach Steffen Baumgart.
“The result is good. The game was way too wild, ”said Nagelsmann. “It was like a preparation game for both teams, very open, very wild, with a lot of space. For a long time it was similar to the Gladbach game. “
Thomas Müller missed a good chance in the eighth minute and Niklas Sule forced a good save from Timo Horn in the Kölner Tor after pulling a Zidane-like twist past a defender.
Nagelsmann reacted at the break with Jamal Musiala and Josip Stanisic for the ineffective Leroy Sane and Tanguy Nianzou.
The changes had an immediate effect, Musiala missed a chance before he brilliantly prepared Lewandowski for the opening goal in the 50th minute.
Gnabry took second place in the 59th with a volley on Thomas Müller’s flank. Anthony Modeste hit with a massive header from a cross from Jonas Hector, two minutes before Mark Uth equalized for the guests.
Gnabry, however, was obviously in no mood to be satisfied with a point. The German striker scored his second goal in the upper corner from the right in the 71st goal.
“In the end, Bayern won through an individual action,” said Baumgart, who complained that his team had shown “too much respect for Bayern”.
Before the game there were honors for Gerd Müller, the former Bayern and West Germany greats, who was known for his top scorer as “The Bomber”. Müller’s record of 365 Bundesliga goals laid the foundation for Bayern’s success. Müller died last Sunday at the age of 75.
“We will miss you very much,” said former team-mate and later Bayern president Uli Hoene with tears in his eyes in the stadium before kick-off.
Previously, Taiwo Awoniyi Union Berlin had equalized a 2-2 draw in Hoffenheim at the beginning of the second half. Union defender Marvin Friedrich was sent off in the second half of stoppage time with his yellow-red card.
