Bayern Munich commenced their Champions League campaign with a convincing 2-1 victory over Valencia at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
The Bavarian giants were always in control of this Group F encounter and went ahead in the 38th minute through Bastian Schweinsteiger and then doubled their lead on 76 minutes when Toni Kroos found the target.
Nelson Valdez pulled one back in the first minute of injury time, but moments later Adil Rami conceded a penalty to the home side when he pulled down Arjen Robben and was shown a yellow card.
However, Mario Mandzukic failed to get his spot kick past Diego Alves, as Bayern wrapped up a 2-1 victory.
Here, Sports Mole has looked back over the encounter between Bayern and Valencia to see if the result was justified.
Match Statistics:
Bayern Munich:
Shots: 17
On target: 10
Possession: 74%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 17
Valencia:
Shots: 4
On target: 2
Possession: 26%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 20
Was the result fair?
Yes, it was. Bayern were in complete control of the game from start to finish and should - and could - have won by a bigger margin. Valencia soaked up the pressure for much of the 90 minutes and often did it admirably, but in the end the Bavarians' superior class was telling.
Bayern Munich's performance
8/10. Bayern were in complete control of the match and put in a strong display at home. They created several chances and were always a handful for the Valencia defence. The midfield partnership of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez proved to be a strong backbone for their attacks, but the pair should have been more clinical.
Valencia's performance
4/10. Valencia could have conceded more goals had it not been for Diego Alves between the posts. The Spanish club were on the backfoot right from the start but improved considerably in the second half. However, they lacked much threat in the attacking department.
Sport Mole's man of the match
Toni Kroos was the star of the show for Bayern Munich. He was a nuisance to Valencia defenders throughout, popped up in the right places at the right times, gave the right passes and also scored the second and winning goal with a brilliant strike. A special mention to Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves, who saved a late penalty and also made a number of good saves.
Biggest gaffe of the match
Sofiane Feghouli, who was Valencia's only spark in the attacking third, was responsible for Bayern's second goal as he gave the ball away cheaply, and his side paid the cost.
Referee's performance
Firat Aydinus put in a confident and strong display. He always had the game under control, blew the whistle at the right moment and booked players for the right challenges.
What next?
Bayern Munich: Bayern are away at BATE Borisov for their next Champions League fixture and should head into that fixture with confidence after a convincing display against Valencia.
Valencia: Valencia host Lille in their next game and will have to put in a better performance than the one they exhibited against Bayern on Wednesday.
Subhankar Mondal
