Expected to cruise through this one and make certain of their place in the last 16, Bayern instead found the opening stages difficult, perhaps in part down to the absence of their ultras from the stands due to a UEFA ban for pyrotechnic use.
A good close-range stop from Kjell Scherpen to keep out Harry Kane was the Union stopper’s only real moment of jeopardy in the first half-hour, and instead the visitors went closest before the break.
Kevin Mac Allister was inches away from toeing in a free-kick delivery, before an unmarked Promise David’s header was saved brilliantly by Manuel Neuer.
The momentum soon pivoted back Bayern’s way, but they were remarkably ineffectual in the final third and deservedly went into the break without scoring.
But given that Die Roten had only drawn 0-0 once in UCL group stage action since 2009, that scoreline was unlikely to persist, and the hosts soon found their rhythm. Michael Olise’s near-post corner was simply diverted in by a determined Kane, who emphatically ended his three-match UCL goal drought with that and another from the penalty spot just three minutes later, after he was taken down while rounding Scherpen in the area.
Things got slightly more complicated for Bayern when Kim Min-Jae saw a second yellow for hauling down Raul Florucz off the ball, but they quickly reasserted their dominance.
The home side were subsequently awarded another penalty with 10 minutes to go when Kamiel Van de Perre handled it during a sliding block, but Kane missed his chance for a hat-trick, smashing against the bar for just his second miss from 14 spot-kicks taken in his UCL career.
Even though they were playing with a personnel advantage, Union had run out of steam by that point, and were fortunate not to go further behind when Olise spooned over having been played through by Luis Diaz.
Despite a hairy start to the game, Bayern retain their unbeaten record in home UCL group stage/league phase matches stretching back to 2013, and go straight through to the knockout stages as a result. Meanwhile, Union are unlikely to progress any further in their first-ever UCL campaign, especially as they face high-flying Atalanta on matchday eight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
