Bayern Munich became the first team to score nine goals in a game in the modern Champions League as the new format of Europe’s elite club competition commenced on Tuesday.
Harry Kane scored four goals, including three penalties, as Vincent Kompany’s Bayern hammered Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 at the Allianz Arena.
Michael Olise scored twice on his Champions League debut, while Raphael Guerreiro, Leroy Sane, and Leon Goretzka were also on target for the home team in Germany.
Dinamo were 3-0 down at the break but scored twice in two minutes just after half-time to give the hosts a scare, with Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara on target. But Bayern then scored six times from the 57th minute onwards.
Bayern had been the last team to score eight in a Champions League match when they beat Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-finals in 2020.
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Kane said after the game: “An amazing game, a bit of a crazy game.
“It’s the first time I’ve scored three penalties in a game. That doesn’t happen at all really.”
It was a remarkable way to mark the opening night of the brand-new Champions League, with the competition now featuring 36 teams all pooled together in one giant league instead of the old group stage.
Every participant now plays eight games against eight different opponents, with the top eight teams at the end of the league phase advancing automatically to the last 16.
Those finishing from ninth to 24th will go through to a play-off round to decide the remaining sides in the last 16, while the bottom 12 will be eliminated.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, introduced the new format to ward off the threat of a breakaway Super League by the biggest clubs, but it also hopes the changes will breathe new life into the competition.
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