Magic Musiala lifts Bayern to victory at Galatasaray

Jamal Musiala assisted one and scored another as Bayern Munich won 3-1 at Galatasaray on Tuesday, extending their stellar Champions League group stage record to 17 straight wins.

Musiala charged up the middle of the park to help create the opener for Kingsley Coman early, before Argentina striker Mauro Icardi won and converted a penalty to level the scores.

Musiala, still just 20, laid on a goal for Harry Kane before the England captain returned the favour, allowing the Germany midfielder to get a goal of his own.

“It was an important win” Kane told Amazon Prime immediately after the victory. “They made it difficult for us in the first half but in the second we calmed down a little.”

Fellow goalscorer Coman echoed Kane’s comments, saying “it wasn’t easy, they put plenty of pressure on us — but we got better in the second half.”

Six-time winners Bayern came into the game hoping to protect a remarkable recent record in the Champions League.

The German champions travelled to Istanbul unbeaten in their past 36 matches in the group stages, including 19 away games.

Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel, Champions League winner with Chelsea in 2021, praised his side’s stunning record after the victory.

“I don’t know how many group stage matches I’ve done as a coach, but it’s always super difficult – so it’s great to find ourselves with nine points after three matches.”

Galatasaray, the only Turkish team to have won a European trophy having lifted the Europa League in 2000, were on a streak of their own, chalking up 17 matches without a loss before Bayern’s visit.

Coman got Bayern off to the best possible start, turning in a pinpoint Musiala pass after just eight minutes, his fourth goal in his past three games for the visiting Germans.

Much of the pre-match talk surrounded the availability of Galatasaray’s Argentina striker Icardi.

While Tuchel said on Monday “my information is that he’s out for a while”, the former Paris Saint-Germain striker was named up front for the 24-time Turkish champions.

Icardi soon made his presence felt, drawing a clumsy lunge in the box from Joshua Kimmich to win a penalty after 29 minutes.

The forward forced a dive from Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, while he casually chipped a Panenka in to equalise.

Icardi then had a golden chance to give the hosts the lead a minute before the break, but Bayern defender Kim Min-jae arrived, forcing the striker to spray his shot wide.

As the second-half wore on, the home side turned up the volume in pursuit of a winner but it would be the visitors who struck next, Kane back-heeling in another Musiala assist.

Kane now has 11 goals in 12 games in all competitions for Bayern since making the move from Tottenham in the summer.

Musiala then got on the scoresheet himself, slamming a Kane assist past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to put the match beyond doubt.

Bayern have now not lost a match in the group stages since September 2017.

dwi/nr