Defending Champion Bayern Munchen wins in Bundesliga’s season opener

The defending champions, Bayern Munich, crushed Hamburg SV 5-0 in the Bundesliga’s season opener on Friday after a scintillating performance that set an early marker in their hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight title.

Douglas Costa celebrates after scoring Bayern Munich's fifth goal against Hamburg in his first Bundesliga appearance.

The German international Thomas Müller
scored twice in four minutes midway through the second half. Mehdi Benatia and Robert Lewandowski also netted and the newcomer Douglas Costa, who also set up a goal, grabbed the fifth in the 87th minute.
Bayern, odds-on favourites to retain their league crown, were never threatened by the visitors, who needed a relegation play-off to stay up last season and started the new campaign with a shock German Cup first-round defeat by the fourth-tier side Carl Zeiss Jena last week.
Despite having Mario Götze on the bench amid widespread media speculation about his future at the club, Franck Ribéry still injured and Bastian Schweinsteiger having left for Manchester United, the Bavarians turned on the style.
Costa terrorised the Hamburg defence down the left wing with his speed while the Chile international Arturo Vidal, who joined from Juventus in the close season, coolly orchestrated the attacks from midfield.

Hamburg, who had conceded a staggering 31 goals in their five previous visits to the Allianz Arena, were forced to defend from the start.
The Poland striker Lewandowski twice went close before the central defender Benatia headed in a Xabi Alonso free-kick in the 27th minute.
Lewandowski made it 2-0 in the 53rd when Matthias Ostrzolek’s header rolled into his path and Müller headed the third goal after a surging Costa run and a superb left-footed cross.
Müller added his second goal of the evening in the 73rd minute, rounding the goalkeeper René Adler after good work from Lewandowski. Costa then capped a memorable Bundesliga debut with a goal when he drilled the ball in from the edge of the box three minutes from time.