Bayern Munich endured a difficult night in Israel before claiming a 3-0 victory over Maccabi Haifa.
Van Gaal's men leave it late to see off Maccabi
Bayern Munich endured a difficult night in Israel before claiming a 3-0 victory over Maccabi Haifa in their UEFA Champions League opener.
Louis van Gaal's side were held for over an hour by plucky opposition before Daniel van Buyten forced a breakthrough and Thomas Muller snatched a late double.
Bayern exerted plenty of early pressure as they attempted to force a breakthrough, but were all too often found wanting when it came to finding a final ball.
Ivica Olic did force Nir Davidovitch into a smart scurry from his line inside the opening five minutes, while Franck Ribery dragged wide after displaying quick feet to create a yard, but Maccabi held firm.
Vladimer Dvalishvili provided a few nice touches for the Israeli outfit on the rare occasions that they countered, while Yaniv Katan also looked to cause problems down the flanks.
It was, though, Bayern who continued to pose the greater threat, with Olic lifting a low Lahm cross over the top shortly before the half-hour mark when he really should have done better.
Maccabi slowly but surely found their stride, though, as the half wore on and they entered the interval in the ascendancy.
Eyal Meshumar could have had them in front moments before the half-time whistle, but he blazed a wild effort into the stands when teed-up on the edge of the box.
Upper-hand
The hosts continued to hold the upper hand after the break as Bayern struggled to find their feet.
Katan twice tested Hans-Jorg Butt in the space of as many minutes, but on each occasion he fired straight down the keeper's throat.
Maccabi had to be on their guard, though, and Arjen Robben stung Davidovitch's fingertips with a fierce free-kick.
Bayern then hauled Ribery off and threw on Mario Gomez as their pursuit of the points became desperate.
The substitution paid off immediately, as Van Buyten lashed home a loose ball on 64 minutes after Maccabi failed to clear their lines.
Bayern were then thankful to Butt on a number of occasions for preserving their lead, before they wrapped up the points late on.
Muller drilled home from the edge of the box with five minutes remaining to put the Germans in control, and he poked home a third three minutes later following good work from Gomez.
| Maccabi Haifa |
Team Statistics |
Bayern München |
| 0 |
Goals |
3 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 4 |
Shots on Target |
8 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
| 1 |
Blocked Shots |
3 |
| 4 |
Corners |
10 |
| 12 |
Fouls |
13 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 74.6 |
Passing Success |
81.9 |
| 17 |
Tackles |
22 |
| 70.6 |
Tackles Success |
81.8 |
| 34.5 |
Possession |
65.5 |
| 46.2 |
Territorial Advantage |
53.8 |
|
