Bayern Munich made history as the first team to score nine goals in a modern Champions League match, thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 on Tuesday as the newly formatted competition got underway. Real Madrid, the reigning champions, and Liverpool also secured victories on an eventful opening night.
Harry Kane stole the show with four goals, including a hat-trick of penalties, as Bayern dismantled Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb at the Allianz Arena. Michael Olise, Raphael Guerreiro, Leroy Sane, and Leon Goretzka were also on the scoresheet for the German giants.
Despite a comfortable 3-0 lead at half-time, Bayern faced a brief scare when Dinamo struck twice in two minutes through Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara just after the interval. However, Bayern soon regained control, adding six more goals after the 57th minute.
Bayerns nine-goal haul surpassed their previous record of eight, set in their 8-2 quarter-final demolition of Barcelona in 2020. The emphatic win marked an exciting start to the revamped Champions League, now featuring 36 teams in a single league instead of the traditional group stages.
In the new format, teams play eight matches against different opponents, with the top eight automatically advancing to the last 16. Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will enter a play-off round to secure the remaining places, while the bottom 12 will be eliminated. UEFA introduced the changes to deter plans for a breakaway Super League while rejuvenating the competition.
