01 November 1897
Olimpiacos 0-3 Bayern, 16 September 2015, Georgios Karaiskakis
Bayern Munich saw in their 2015/16 Champions League campaign with a 3-0 triumph away at Olimpiacos, a result that represented their 12 successive win in the competition’s opening game.
Stern resistance from the hosts meant the Bavarians were made to wait until 52 minutes before opening the scoring, Thomas Muller's attempted cross looping over goalkeeper Roberto at his far post.
Olimpiacos went close to giving Bayern a scare seven minutes from time when Leandro Salino fired wide with only Manuel Neuer to beat, but Pep Guardiola’s men made sure of the points through late goals from substitute Mario Gotze and Muller.
Bayern Munich 5-0 Dinamo Zagreb, 29 September 2015, Allianz Arena
A Robert Lewandowski hat-trick inspired Bayern to a convincing victory over Dinamo Zagreb, maintaining their 100 per cent start to Group F in the process.
It took the Germans just 13 minutes to open the floodgates, Douglas Costa bursting into the box from wide and guiding a cool finish past Eduardo. One became two just eight minutes later, as Lewandowski fired home following good work from Thiago Alcántara.
With the bit firmly between their teeth, Bayern added two more strikes to their tally on 25 and 29 minutes. First, Gotze got in on the act after a playing a slick one-two with Kingsley Coman, then Lewandowski bagged his brace by converting Costa’s corner.
The Polish frontman completed his treble shortly after the restart, bringing the Allianz Arena to its feet when he lifted the ball over Eduardo to round off a five-star night for the Bundesliga champions.
Arsenal 2-0 Bayern, 20 October 2015, Emirates Stadium
Strikes from Olivier Giroud and Mesut Özil inflicted a first defeat of the season on Bayern in North London.
Guardiola’s changes had long spells of possession and cranked up the tempo in their bid for a winner during the second half, only to be caught cold when Giroud capitalised on a rare error in defence to grab the Gunners the lead on 77 minutes.
The classic sucker punch was dealt in injury time as, with Bayern throwing bodies forward in search of an equaliser, Ozil squeezed his shot over the line to get Arsenal’s Champions League campaign up and running in earnest.
Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal, Wednesday 4 November, Allianz Arena
Revenge for defeat in England was swift in coming as Bayern turned on the style to overcome Arsenal by a 5-1 scoreline at the Allianz Arena a fortnight later.
Just ten minutes were on the clock when the Gunners’ resistance was shattered, Alcántara sending in an inch-perfect cross for Lewandowski to head in his fourth Champions League goal of the term. The hosts doubled their lead shortly before the half hour mark when Müller gathered Coman’s miscued strike to convert at the near post.
With Bayern in unforgiving mood, Arsene Wenger’s men weren’t even afforded the opportunity to steady the ship during the half-time break, with David Alaba’s curling strike on 44 minutes all but wrapping up the victory.
Substitute Arjen Robben added to their tally ten minutes after the restart, tapping in shortly after entering the action, and while Giroud’s impressive volley on 69 minutes restored pride to a shellshocked Arsenal, the night would ultimately belong to Bayern and particularly Muller, who added a fifth with a minute of normal time remaining.
Bayern Munich 4-0 Olimpiacos, 24 November 2015, Allianz Arena
Another stellar display on home turf saw the Bavarians sail through to the Champions League last 16 in style, Olimpiacos the victims of a three-goal blitz inside the opening 20 minutes that ensured the final outcome would be a foregone conclusion.
Having opened the scoring from close range through Costa on eight minutes, Guardiola’s men broke Greek hearts with further goals from Lewandowski and Muller, leaving the visitors with a mountain to climb.
The dismissal of Bayern's Holger Badstuber eight minutes into the restart enabled Olimpiacos to steady the ship somewhat, but there was still time for Coman to head home for the hosts’ fourth on a top night for the Bavarians.
Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 Bayern Munich, 9 December 2015, Stadion Maksimir
Two second-half Lewandowski goals ensured a vastly changed Bayern outfit ended their Group F campaign on a winning note with their fifth triumph from six games.
While the hosts may have created the better openings during the first half, the Bavarians’ class eventually prevailed when Mueller, on as a substitute, supplied a perfectly weighted cross for Lewandowski to head home on 61 minutes. The Pole had his second of the night just three minutes later, this time capitalising on Sebastian Rode’s slide-rule pass to lift the ball over Eduardo.
A golden opportunity to make it three came when Arturo Vidal was brought down in the penalty box late on, only for Mueller to see his spot kick cannon back off the post.
