In front of around 25,000 spectators, they overran the seventh-placed team in Serie A in the first half of the game with goals from Josip Stanisic (12th minute), Olise (22nd) and Serge Gnabry (25th). Nicolas Jackson (52nd), Olise again (64th) and Jamal Musiala (67th) increased the result in the second round. In stoppage time, Atalanta scored through Mario Pasalic.

“It was a very strong performance,” said captain Joshua Kimmich on Prime Video: “The manner was very strong. We knew that we could really hurt them.” National team colleague Aleksandar Pavlovic said enthusiastically: “It couldn’t be better. Top game, top result.”

Bitter: Three injured around Davies

Goal scorer Harry Kane wasn’t even needed as a substitute after his calf bruise. What was bitter, however, was another injury to full-back Alphonso Davies and, at the very end, also to Jonas Urbig and Jamal Musiala. “Let’s hope they get back on the pitch as soon as possible,” said Pavlovic.

Nothing should go wrong for the Munich team in the second leg next Wednesday at the Allianz Arena, even without Kimmich and Olise, who were also suspended after their third yellow card. Both top performers would be back in the quarter-final clash against Real Madrid or Manchester City.

Harry Kane not a Bayern starter – that was the top news a good hour before kick-off. Coach Vincent Kompany provided the reason. “Harry trained once,” said the Belgian on Amazon Prime about the Munich top attacker’s role as a substitute after a painful bruised calf.

A deployment right from the start would have come “too early,” explained Kompany. And sports director Max Eberl added: “In an emergency he could.” But firstly, it was only the first leg. And in that case an emergency did not arise – on the contrary.

Instead of Kane, Nicolas Jackson was once again allowed to play as a center forward, as was the case in the 4-1 win in the Bundesliga classic against Borussia Mönchengladbach. But the man of the match was someone else: Michael Olise. The Frenchman, like the entire Bayern team, was immediately “on fire”.

Olise scores twice in Robben style

A quickly taken corner from Olise to Gnabry enabled Stanisic to score his first premier class goal against an outwitted Atalanta defense. Olise increased the score with a typical run inside and shot into the far corner. And at 3-0, after a long ball from goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, the winger placed the ball wonderfully into the path of Gnabry, who coolly finished. After the break, Olise scored again in the style of Arjen Robben to make it 5-0.

“The tension” that sports director Eberl had felt before kick-off was gone after a furious 25 minutes of play. Especially since further goals were possible from Jackson and Gnabry, who hit the crossbar.

Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino’s plan to surprise Bayern with a courageous formation with an unusual back four and two strikers turned out to be an own goal. Kompany’s team withstood the Italians’ “full pressing” with great willingness to run, skill on the ball and tactical maturity. Unlike the 4-1 home win against Dortmund in the second leg of the playoffs, the hosts never got up to speed. Bayern totally dominated them. And that without two top performers and leading players like Kane and Manuel Neuer.

Youngster Urbig stood in goal for the captain, who had another calf injury. The 22-year-old did a flawless job again in his sixth Champions League game. He safely parried a shot from Nikola Krstovic (26th). Bayern continued after the break: Jackson made it 4-0 after a counterattack. Olise and Musiala, who later limped off the pitch, followed up. Dayot Upamecano hit the post.