Bayern welcomed Atalanta to the Allianz Arena with a commanding 6-1 advantage from their first leg in Bergamo, making their path to the quarter-finals look all but assured.
Despite their comfortable position, Vincent Kompany named a strong side with Harry Kane returning to the starting line-up as captain. The hosts were without suspended duo Joshua Kimmich and Michael Olise, while there was relief as Jonas Urbig was declared fit to start in goal despite concussion concerns from the first leg, avoiding the potential debut of 16-year-old Leonard Prescott.
Bayern dominated from the outset, creating a succession of chances before breaking the deadlock in the 25th minute. After Luis Díaz had sent an early chip onto the roof of the net, Kane saw his shot deflect off Giorgio Scalvini’s arm, prompting referee Benoit Bastien to award a penalty following a VAR review. The Bayern stand-in skipper’s initial effort was saved by Marco Sportiello, but the keeper had moved off his line too early, and Kane made no mistake with his second attempt, firing confidently into the net.
The hosts continued to press forward with Lennart Karl and Leon Goretzka both seeing efforts miss the target, while Atalanta’s first meaningful opportunity came just before half-time when Mario Pašalić forced Urbig into an impressive save.
Kane set the tone with a trademark penalty – his 28th Champions League goal for Bayern. – Alexander Hassenstein
Dominant showing
Bayern intensified their efforts after the break, with Kane producing a moment of brilliance in the 54th minute when he spun away from three defenders inside the box before finding the top corner with a sublime finish.
Just two minutes later, Karl made it 3-0 with a well-placed shot into the far bottom corner following good work from Deniz Ofli, who had just come on for his debut, before Díaz added a fourth, racing clear before expertly chipping over the on-rushing Sportiello.
Aged 18 years and 24 days, Lennart Karl became the youngest German to score and assist in a single Champions League game. – Stuart Franklin
With the tie firmly settled, Kompany introduced more young talent including Filip Pavić, who became the youngest player ever to represent Bayern in the Champions League.
Atalanta managed a consolation through Lazar Samardžić, who headed in from Pašalić’s flick-on in the 85th minute, but it was merely a footnote in Bayern’s dominant display that secured a quarter-final clash with Real Madrid.
