Chelsea’s return to the Champions League ended in a disappointing 3-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena, with the final Bayern Munich vs Chelsea result reflecting a dominant performance from the German champions on Wednesday night.
A frantic first half
After an initial period of end-to-end action, the hosts broke the deadlock in the 20th minute. A powerful low cross from Michael Olise was inadvertently turned into his own net by the knee of defender Trevoh Chalobah. Things went from bad to worse for the visitors just minutes later when Moisés Caicedo brought down Harry Kane inside the area. Kane stepped up to convert the penalty and double Bayern’s lead.
Just when Chelsea seemed on the verge of collapse, Cole Palmer gave them a lifeline. The playmaker finished off a deadly counter-attack with a superb shot past Manuel Neuer to make it 2-1.
Gusto error seals Chelsea’s fate
Bayern reasserted their dominance after the break, with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez making several saves to keep his team in the contest. However, the hosts’ pressure eventually told. An egregious mistake in build-up from Malo Gusto gifted the ball to Kane, who secured his brace with a cool finish to effectively kill the game.
Enzo Maresca’s side was unable to mount a comeback, and a late second goal for Palmer was ruled out for offside by VAR. The result serves as a stark reminder of the challenge facing Maresca’s side in a tough group, while Bayern Munich have laid down an early marker of their intent to go deep in this season’s competition.