Bayern Munich showed no mercy in their first match of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League. In their debut during the tournament’s first league phase, the German team defeated Dinamo Zagreb 9-2, with goals from Harry Kane, Raphael Guerreiro, Michael Olise, Leroy Sané, and Leon Goretzka.
Under Vincent Kompany’s orders, Bayern was unstoppable at the Allianz Arena. It’s one of the biggest wins in the history of the UEFA Champions League. No team had scored eight goals in a single match in the competition since Bayern did it against Barcelona in 2020 (8-2).
With this score, Bayern Munich soar to the first position of the overall table, as the new format isn’t divided in groups but instead all 36 teams are ranked together. The goal difference might be key after all it’s said and done in the first phase of the tournament.
Big victories are key in the new Champions League format
In the new Champions League format, teams no longer face three opponents twice – once at home and once away. Instead, they compete against eight different teams, with half of these matches played at home and the other half away.
The top eight teams in the league will automatically advance to the round of 16. Teams finishing in 9th through 24th place will enter a two-legged knockout phase to earn their spot in the last 16 of the competition.