Video referee landmark as Bayern Munich claim opening Bundesliga win
Robert Lewandowski, Niklas Suele and Corentin Tolisso on target as defending champions record 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen
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Robert Lewandowski converted a second-half penalty awarded by a video assistant referee intervention as champions Bayern Munich opened the 2017/18 Bundesliga season with a 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
The video assistant referee is being trialled in the Bundesliga this season and came into play for the first time on Friday to spot that Lewandowski was fouled in the area in the second-half.
The Polish striker dutifully slotted home the penalty to put Bayern 3-0 up after new signings Germany defender Niklas Suele and France midfielder Corentin Tolisso scored with first-half headers.
Leverkusen deservedly pulled a goal back when Swiss striker Admir Mehmedi capped off a bright passage of play with a fierce shot.
“That was a special day for me – my first game for my new club and my first goal, that was nice,” said Suele.
Having won last season’s German league title – their fifth in a row – by 15 points, the thumping win in Munich suggests Bayern are in no mood to relax their iron-grip on the Bundesliga title.
Leverkusen’s Germany defender Jonathan Tah was left ruing his side’s poor first-half display.
“We were asleep in the first half and conceded stupid goals,” said Tah.
On a dramatic opening night, the start of the second half was also delayed by 15 minutes as torrential rain swept the stadium.
