Bayern concluded a ruthless domestic double with DFB-Pokal victory over Stuttgart in last campaign’s competitive finale, and their fans weren’t expecting anything less after a long summer break.
The initial signs were less than encouraging, with Tiago Tomas striking the bar from just a few yards out after Grischa Promel headed it down, but the hosts soon started to find their feet and took the lead with just over 20 minutes played.
Joshua Kimmich’s near-post cross was enticing, and Dayot Upamecano towered above Josha Vagnoman to meet it and glance his header into the far bottom corner.
Luis Diaz then failed to beat Fabian Bredlow one-on-one after breaking clean through, before Michael Olise bent a long-range effort just wide of the mark.
Unlike many opponents, Stuttgart weren’t willing to sit back and intended to go toe-to-toe with Bayern. Yet, they kept getting hit on the break, including when Bredlow saved a powerful hit from Nathaniel Brown.
Half time came with no real incidents after that, but everything seemingly changed with the visitors’ equaliser just minutes after the break.
It initially looked good for Stuttgart, as Josha Vagnoman thundered in from the edge of the area after Manuel Neuer did well to stop Tomas’ far-post header.
But Bayern inserted the screw and turned it with two quickfire goals, as Olise first re-established the lead by slotting into the bottom corner after receiving Kimmich’s slipped pass.
Vagnoman then cancelled out his earlier strike by losing his footing on the sodden turf, inadvertently slamming Alphonso Davies’ cross into his own net.
It was time for Vincent Kompany to introduce his marquee summer signing, and Ismael Saibari didn’t take long to make an impact. Olise hooked an ingenious ball off the sideline and released the Moroccan, who laid it off for Aleksandar Pavlovic to slot into the open net.
Not content with having hit four in a third consecutive home league meeting with Stuttgart, Bayern had time to find another, and Saibari cemented his credentials by playing through Diaz, who found the left corner one-on-one.
Bayern aren’t showing any signs of slowing down after their record-breaking campaign, and could still hang on to a Bundesliga leadership they have held continuously since September 2024 if no other sides beat tonight’s scoreline this weekend.
Having retained their star players this summer, there is plenty for the Stuttgart faithful to be optimistic about despite the result, though the H2H record still illustrates just how far there is to go before they can be anywhere near Bayern’s equals.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)