The Norwegian side arrived with a growing European reputation, having reached the last 16 in their debut Champions League season the previous year after victories over Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan. Their coach Kjetil Knutsen had spoken with characteristic clarity before the game: “In my opinion, we’ll face the best team in the world tomorrow. That’s perfect because we’ll know where we really stand. We watched back their games against PSG, and that didn’t give me any more confidence. But at the same time I was incredibly inspired, because they have top-class players. Players who also invest in the team and put in hard work. It’s a great test for us.” Vincent Kompany, for his part, had been equally respectful. “Bodø/Glimt is a great story for football,” the Bayern coach said. “The more you analyse them, the more you realise that it all makes sense. Every player can run a lot, every player wants to defend and press. They have a clear idea and all the players buy into that. With the money they have they shouldn’t be able to compete with those teams, but they do, that’s the highest compliment you can pay to anyone.”
The first 45 minutes those words looked prophetic. Bodø/Glimt sat deep in a compact shape, with Joshua Kitolano dropping into a temporary back five when out of possession, and they limited Bayern to half-chances. Nikita Haikin made an early save from Luis Díaz’s header and another from Kane, while the home side’s dominance of the ball rarely translated into clear openings. Haikin, however, was forced off at the interval after sustaining an injury late in the first half, and the introduction of substitute goalkeeper Julian Faye Lund proved costly. Within two minutes of the restart Musiala, restored to the starting XI after a period of careful management following health issues, controlled a loose ball on the edge of the area and volleyed emphatically into the far corner for the 900th goal scored by Bayern in European competition. The Allianz Arena exhaled, and the floodgates opened.
Kane, back in the side after rotation at the weekend, rose to meet Olise’s free-kick and powered a header past Lund for 2-0 just after the hour. Davies then collected a cleared corner and drove a low, left-footed shot into the far corner to make it three. Olise, who had been involved in the build-up to the second goal, produced the moment of highest quality with 83 minutes gone, cutting inside and bending a left-footed shot from outside the box into the top corner. In stoppage time he repeated the feat, sealing a personal brace and a comprehensive scoreline. Bjørtuft’s dismissal for a foul in the closing stages completed a difficult night for the visitors, who finished with ten men and without a shot on target after the interval.
The statistics told a familiar story of Bayern’s superiority at home in Europe: heavy possession, a clear advantage in shots and expected goals, and a defence that was rarely tested once the first goal went in. Manuel Neuer was a virtual spectator after the break. For Bodø/Glimt the evening offered a stark reminder of the step up required when facing a side with Bayern’s depth and individual quality. Their first-half discipline had been admirable, yet the loss of Haikin and the subsequent inability to contain Musiala, Kane, Davies and especially Olise exposed the limits of organisation alone against elite finishing.
Kompany’s side, who had been held to a goalless draw by Schalke at the weekend, responded with the kind of controlled aggression that has become their hallmark under the Belgian. The return of Musiala to the starting line-up and the restored partnership of Kane and Olise provided the cutting edge that had been missing days earlier. The result leaves Bayern with three points from their opening league-phase fixture and a goal difference already healthy enough to give them early breathing space.
For Bodø/Glimt the campaign continues, but the scale of the defeat will demand rapid recovery if they are to replicate last season’s progress. On this evidence the gap between the established elite and even the most well-drilled of the continental underdogs remains considerable, though the Norwegian club’s story of sustained improvement on limited resources continues to command respect across the continent.
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