Bayern bounce back as Gnabry seals gruelling win over Wolfsburg
The Vincent Kompany era got off to a mixed start in Germany's domestic top-flight with a nervy 3-2 win over Wolfsburg this sunny afternoon. Honing in on the right flank, Bayern repeatedly attacked Wolfsburg through the forces of Sacha Boey and Michael Olise early on. New signing, Kamil Grbara, was a busy man repelling Kane with a brave unorthodox save as the ball cannoned off his head.
In the 20th-minute, Bayern constructed the breakthrough with Olise and Kane the catalysts. The pair freed space for Boey who took on Jakub Kaminski, crossed from the end line, and left Jamal Musiala with a routine tap in from six yards. Gnabry and Olise almost combined to add a second on the half-hour but Kaminski made a crucial block on this occasion.
If Boey was the hero before the break, 25 second-half seconds left the Frenchman exposed. A shove on Tiago Tomas left arbiter Daniel Siebert pointing to the spot. Lovro Majer restored parity by firing into the lower left corner. The Croatian struck the post in the subsequent attack, but Wolfsburg took the lead near the hour. Kim Min-Jae's slack defending allowed Patrick Wimmer to square for Majer who bagged his brace.
Boey's withdrawl paved the way for Bayern to respond as Müller entered. A Kimmich corner was flicked on by Kane onto the knee of Kaminski who could do little to prevent the own goal. Müller would have tapped home unmarked otherwise. Bayern restored their lead with 9 minutes remaining - the vision of Müller slipped in Kane. The English striker fed Gnabry to drill home on the angle. Perhaps Die Wölfe merited a draw, but a late miss from Matthias Svanberg shaved past Neuer's post as Bayern hung on.