Bayern Munich ended Olympiakos’ six-game winning streak in the Champions League after defeating the Greek side 3-0 in Piraeus.
Both sides defended well, but it was Bayern which capitalised with three second half goals to move past the reigning Greek champions.
The Greek side’s defence was solid, and didn’t allow attacking trio Robert Lewandowski, Douglas Costa and Thomas Muller many opportunities in the first half, with Bayern’s midfielders – Xabi Alonso and Arturo Vidal – chipping in with some long range shots to no avail.
The half-time score remained nil-all but it was a tale of two halves, with the German side quickly finding its feet early in the second-half to etch its prowess on the match.
Bayern started the half superbly, scoring in the 52nd minute, after a Muller cross to Lewandowski was misjudged by Roberto, ending up in the back of net.
But the local side never gave up, changing to a 4-1-4-1 formation, in an attempt to claw its way back into the match.
Bayern was forced to make three substitutions after injuries to Lewandowski, Alonso and Vidal, which proved pivotal, with substitutes Joshua Kimmich and Mario Gotze contributing positively to seal the win for the German giant.
From the moment Gotze came on, Bayern played an attacking and direct style of football, and he ended the host’s hopes of achieving an equaliser, after finding the back of the net in the 89th minute.
Muller then popped up for a second after an Arthur Masuaku foul on Kingsley Coman resulted in a spot kick and a successful conversion in the 93rd minute.
In other Champions League results, Kostas Mitroglou helped Portuguese side Benfica claim a 2-0 victory over Kazakh side Astana, with a goal in the 62nd minute, whilst his compatriot Andreas Samaris received a yellow card in that game.
