Bayern Munich may have been far from impressive in their 1-0 win at promoted St Pauli, but Vincent Kompany believes it shows there are no easy games in the Bundesliga.

Bayern had scored 12 goals in their previous three league games going into the encounter in Hamburg, but they struggled against the disciplined hosts who staunchly refused to capitulate.

It took a stunning long-range Jamal Musiala shot in the 22nd minute to decide the game, even as Bayern upped the pressure in the second half in search of a second goal.

"When you look at what [Bayer] Leverkusen did in Bochum and what [Borussia] Dortmund did in Mainz, there are no easy games and today was a tough game. It's a very good win for us," Kompany said.

While Bayern narrowly won their game, champions Leverkusen conceded an 89th-minute goal to draw 1-1 at bottom club Bochum, while Dortmund slumped to a 3-1 loss at Mainz, their fourth straight loss on the road in the league.

"This game came at a tricky moment for us because we had a Champions League game on Wednesday," added Kompany, whose team beat Benfica 1-0 in the European competition.

"We played against a very compact team, with high energy and a very good game management. Even when we scored the first goal, they didn't panic and stayed patient.

"They put a bit more pressure towards the end of the game. I can value this win a lot."

Kompany has earned 26 points in his first 10 Bundesliga games with Bayern - a joint-record after the first 10 games in the competition by a manager at the club, along with Pep Guardiola in 2013 and Branko Zebec in 1968 (converted to 3 points per game).

Jamal Musiala's stunning first-half finish powered undefeated Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to a nervy 1-0 victory at St. Pauli on Saturday.

Bayern, fresh from their 1-0 Champions League win over Benfica courtesy of another Musiala goal, had the upper hand at the start.

St. Pauli, however, showed few nerves and gradually became more aggressive, carving out a couple of scoring chances of their own.

Bayern struck first, however, when Germany midfielder Musiala won possession before unleashing a ferocious shot from range that went in off the crossbar for his fifth league goal.

Promoted St. Pauli turned out to be a tough nut to crack with Bayern given little space to create chances in the second half and the hosts lurking on the break.

Victory leaves Bayern top on 26 points, six ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig, who host Borussia Monchengladbach later on Saturday.

Data Debrief: St. Pauli's scoring struggles

St. Pauli have failed to score at home across their opening five such matches in the Bundesliga, leaving them on a league-low seven goals in the competition overall.

That issue may not have been expected to change here, however, considering the hosts have only won one of their 11 home games in professional football against Bayern (D3 L9).

St. Pauli managed just three shots for their 0.08 expected goals tally (xG), failing to find the target with all of those in what proved to be another frustrating outing.

Jamal Musiala's stunning first-half finish powered undefeated Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to a nervy 1-0 victory at St. Pauli on Saturday.

Bayern, fresh from their 1-0 Champions League win over Benfica courtesy of another Musiala goal, had the upper hand at the start.

St. Pauli, however, showed few nerves and gradually became more aggressive, carving out a couple of scoring chances of their own.

Bayern struck first, however, when Germany midfielder Musiala won possession before unleashing a ferocious shot from range that went in off the crossbar for his fifth league goal.

Promoted St. Pauli turned out to be a tough nut to crack with Bayern given little space to create chances in the second half and the hosts lurking on the break.

Victory leaves Bayern top on 26 points, six ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig, who host Borussia Monchengladbach later on Saturday.

Data Debrief: St. Pauli's scoring struggles

St. Pauli have failed to score at home across their opening five such matches in the Bundesliga, leaving them on a league-low seven goals in the competition overall.

That issue may not have been expected to change here, however, considering the hosts have only won one of their 11 home games in professional football against Bayern (D3 L9).

St. Pauli managed just three shots for their 0.08 expected goals tally (xG), failing to find the target with all of those in what proved to be another frustrating outing.

Vincent Kompany is confident that his free-scoring Bayern Munich side can continue their prolific form away from home when they face St. Pauli on Saturday. 

Bayern returned to winning ways in the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Benfica in midweek, but are now looking to remain at the Bundesliga summit. 

Kompany's team are the only unbeaten side away from home in the league this term, taking 13 points from their five games on the road. 

They have scored at least three goals in each of their last five Bundesliga away games to equal the league record set by themselves in 2019-20 under Hansi Flick.

In league history, no other side has ever scored as many goals in their first five away games of a campaign as Bayern’s current return (22).

Kompany, however, was unsure about why his team were so effective away from the Allianz Arena. 

"Good question. Honestly, I don't know why that is," Kompany told a press conference.

"I don't think we differentiate too much between away games and home games. Obviously, it is extra motivation to play in our Allianz Arena.

"But we have also played a lot of matches on the road. Our plan does not change whether we play against St Pauli away or at home.

"Maybe that is the reason we have scored so much. Maybe it is the opponents changing their plans.

"We have prepared for what we have seen, and we hope it will work on the day."

Bayern's victory over Benfica came after back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and Barcelona in the Champions League, moving them up to 17th in the new 36-team standings. 

Though the scoreline suggested a closely contested affair, Kompany's side put on a dominant display that warranted a more handsome margin at full-time. 

Bayern ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.45 from their 22 shots, while restricting their opponents to just one shot. 

Despite the quick turnaround from Wednesday's triumph, Kompany insisted that his players will be well-prepared for their trip to the Millerntor-Stadion. 

"My players will be fresh on Saturday. I have the feeling the team is fresh mentally and physically even though we did not have a lot of time to recover," Kompany said. 

Vincent Kompany was pleased with the way Bayern Munich attacked at home to Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, despite only winning 1-0.

The victory ended a run of back-to-back defeats for the German team in the competition, leaving them 17th in the league with six points from four matches. 

"It's important for us to win a game this way. In the past, we always scored three, four or five goals, but today we stayed calm," Kompany told the official club website.

"We had 24 shots on goal and the opposition had one. Not every finish was dangerous, but we controlled the game. There are games in which the last pass just isn't as precise as necessary.

"We know we can decide matches within the first five minutes if we're on good form. That didn't happen today. But in the end, it's the Champions League. It was a good game and a good win."

Midfielder Jamal Musiala scored the only goal of the game in the 67th minute, turning home Harry Kane's knockdown after Leroy Sane had played the ball across the box.

Sane is yet to start a game in any competition for Bayern this season, coming on in the 56th minute on Wednesday, but his contribution was not lost on Kompany.

"Obviously, I'm really happy to have the quality of Leroy Sane and Michael Olise in the same position - not to forget Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry. You can say Leroy turned this game around today," he said.

The goalscorer Musiala, meanwhile, was pleased after scoring his fifth goal in all competitions for the club this season.

“We had good moments, but the opposition played and defended well. Of course, there are still things we can improve, but it's important to have won the three points," he said.

"I don't know what's going on with me scoring headers at the moment. The ball dropped nicely for me a few times and I just keep trying to get into good positions I can score easy goals from.

"We all knew we had to win tonight and we did a good job. We had a tough time settling into the game, but we can't win by four or five goals every time. Sometimes a 1-0 win has to be enough.”

Jamal Musiala scored a header in the second half to give Bayern Munich a crucial 1-0 home victory over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Germany international Musiala scored with a bullet header from close range in the 67th minute with Bayern dominating and missing several chances before eventually breaking the deadlock.

Musiala’s chance was set up when Harry Kane headed Leroy Sane’s cross back across the face of goal.

The result was much needed to get Bayern’s campaign back on track, with the win seeing them bounce back from suffering two consecutive defeats in the competition – against Aston Villa and Barcelona – for the first time since 2017.

A win lifted the Germans to six points from four matches and into 17th place with Benfica, who were toothless in attack, also on six points in 19th place.

Europe's top club competition has switched from a group stage to a league phase this season, where 36 teams play eight matches each. The top eight in the table progress directly to the next round, while the next 16 teams enter a two-legged playoff.

Bayern have a crunch clash against Paris Saint-Germain next in the competition on November 26.
 

Data Debrief: Unlucky 13 for Benfica

Benfica have now played 13 major European matches against Bayern and have never tasted victory, collecting only three draws and suffering 10 defeats.

That trend rarely showed signs of ending in this match, with Benfica not threatening. The visitors failed to register a shot on target for the first time in 45 Champions League matches. The last time they did not trouble the goalkeeper in this competition was in October 2017 against Manchester United. Bayern, by comparison, racked up 10 attempts on target.

Benfica also only had four touches in the opposition box, their lowest tally on record since Opta started recording that data in the Champions League in 2007-08, with Bayern tallying 51.

As for Kane, the assist means he has now been directly involved in 80 goals across all competitions (61 goals, 19 assists) since the start of last season. That is 16 more than any other player across Europe’s biggest five leagues in this period.

Vincent Kompany is eyeing a place in the top eight of the new Champions League format with Bayern Munich despite back-to-back losses in the competition. 

Bayern welcome Benfica to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, hoping to recover from defeats to Aston Villa and Barcelona, the first time they have failed to win consecutive games in the competition since April 2017. 

Kompany's started their Champions League campaign with a 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb, but have since plummeted down the new league table. 

They find themselves 23rd after three matches. However, they have fared better in the Bundesliga, sitting three points clear at the top of the table after nine games. 

"What we know is you have to win around six (of eight) games to reach the top eight," Kompany said. 

"You have to win three games and that should be enough for the playoffs. My goal is to reach the top eight."

Bayern last failed to reach the Champions League knockout stages in 2002-03, finishing bottom of a group that featured Deportivo La Coruna, Lens and Milan. 

But despite their stuttering start in the competition so far, Kompany said the new format plays no role in the team's planning. 

"I don't want to think too far ahead because we have enough games," Kompany said.

"We have to win against Benfica. I don't want to spend too much time thinking about what could happen in January.

"No one knows how it will work. We only know we want to win tomorrow. We play at home. That is my only goal."

Bayern, however, have every confidence of getting their European campaign back on track, with the German outfit boasting an impressive record against Benfica. 

They have played 12 major European matches against Benfica and have never lost (W9 D3). 

But Bruno Lage's side will be looking to buck that trend, having beaten Atletico Madrid and Red Star Belgrade so far, but they did lose to Feyenoord last time out. 

"We have a lot of confidence going into this game. We will always adapt and take the steps that are right for the team," Kompany said. 

"But to say we will change everything is not serious. We just want to win again at home. 

Vincent Kompany said he is not focused on the pressures of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League after Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over Union Berlin. 

Bayern moved temporarily top of the Bundesliga standings thanks to a brace from Harry Kane and Kingsley Coman's third goal in as many league games. 

Kompany's side have now scored 32 goals in their first nine games this season, taking their tally to 50 goals under the Belgian's tenure in 14 games in all competitions. 

But Bayern have failed to replicate that form in the Champions League, failing to win their last two games following an opening day mauling of Dinamo Zagreb. 

They find themselves in 23rd place in the new league format in the competition, and are at risk of not making the knockout stages for the first time since 2002-03. 

"Fact is that every Bayern game has pressure. But I am not focusing on pressure. Just on the next game," Kompany said.

"This format is eight teams qualify and 20-odd play in playoffs.

"For the top eight teams it is true (automatic qualification) but it is not about being in or out of the Champions League with this format." 

Bayern host Benfica on Wednesday, and will be looking to turn their European fortunes around on home soil.

And Kompany believes the intensity shown in their latest Bundesliga triumph can be used as positive momentum ahead of their Champions League return. 

"I think the team was working hard in the first and second half, but I was happy with our performance in the second half because we did not concede momentum," Kompany said.

"We did it really well. It was not an easy game, therefore it is a great result for us."

Harry Kane scored twice to propel Bayern Munich to a 3-0 win over Union Berlin on Saturday.

Vincent Kompany's team moved, temporarily at least, to the top of the Bundesliga standings with the minimum of fuss at the Allianz Arena.

The Bavarians, who host Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, opened the scoring with a 15th-minute penalty from England captain Kane before Kingsley Coman curled a shot past keeper Frederik Ronnow to make it 2-0 two minutes before the break.

Union were constantly on the back foot and could do nothing to stop Kane from stabbing in his second goal from close range six minutes after the restart.

Kane, who also scored a hat-trick against Stuttgart two weeks ago, now has 11 league goals this season.

Undefeated in the league and eager to reclaim domestic dominance after last season's double by Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern have now scored 32 goals and conceded seven in nine Bundesliga games.

Data Debrief: Goals, goals, goals

Bayern just cannot stop scoring. While they may be struggling in the Champions League, they are flying domestically, and they have now netted 50 times under Kompany in all competitions this season.

They are the first club from Europe's five major leagues to reach the 50-goal mark in this competitive season.

Meanwhile, since detailed data collection in 2004-05, only one player has collected more direct goal contributions in the first nine matchdays of a Bundesliga season than Kane this season (16), and that was the former Tottenham captain himself last year. 

Vincent Kompany said he would wait until Saturday to decide whether Eric Dier and Dayot Upamecano are fit enough to return to action for Bayern Munich. 

Bayern welcome Union Berlin to the Allianz Arena, hoping to maintain their advantage over RB Leipzig at the summit of the Bundesliga standings.

Both Dier and Upamecano are nursing injuries, with the former Tottenham defender replaced by Arijon Ibrahimovic in Bayern's DFB-Pokal win over Mainz in midweek. 

Upamecano also missed the trip to the Mewa Arena with a thigh injury, only adding to the defensive woes Kompany has suffered this season. 

Bayern are already without Hiroki Ito, Sacha Boey and Josip Stanisic, but Kompany is yet to make a decision on Dier and Upamecano's role in Saturday's fixture. 

"It's a pity when players are unavailable. I have 18 fit players, so I have 18 options for the positions," Kompany told a press conference.

"There have obviously been a lot of games in the last few weeks. I have full confidence in the other boys and in the squad."

"The tendency (for Dier and Upamecano) is good but still I will take my time until tomorrow. But it looks good."

During their win over Mainz on Wednesday, Kompany was forced to play a central defensive partnership made up of Leon Goretzka and Konrad Laimer. 

And the Bayern boss was not against starting that same duo against Union Berlin this weekend after their strong showing in the DFB-Pokal. 

"I could say it is bad for us with two, three or four defenders missing," Kompany added. 

"But I have full faith in the other players. I hope they will be fit but in any other case I have faith in the other lads."

Kompany has collected 20 points in his first eight Bundesliga games as Bayern head coach, the best return since Carlo Ancelotti in 2016.

No coach in top-flight history has seen his side score as many goals in their first eight games as Kompany (29), and the Belgian has reason to be confident this weekend.

They have not lost any of their 10 league meetings with Union Berlin (W7, D3) – the only other side Bayern have faced as often in the top-flight without losing is Darmstadt.

However, Kompany was wary of the threat Bo Svensson's side, who have picked up 15 points after eight Bundesliga games – only ever being better off in 2022-23 (17).

"They have done it well so far. They are up there and we will not be underestimating them. But the game is about us," Kompany said.

"You can see that they are very strong in defence and on the counter. This is a team that knows what it has to do. But in the end it is a home game for us."

Vincent Kompany insisted Bayern Munich's DFB-Pokal second round tie against Mainz is "just as important as a final", with the aim of improving their cup record. 

Bayern have struggled in previous editions of the tournament, losing to Holstein Kiel, Borussia Monchengladbach and Saarbrucken in the second round in three of the last four editions.

The 20-time champions of the competition reached the quarter-finals against Freiburg in 2022-23 - their best run since winning the title against Bayer Leverkusen in 2020.

Wednesday's fixture offers the chance for Bayern to improve their DFB-Pokal record, though Kompany was not underestimating Mainz's threat. 

"We cannot change the past," Kompany told a press conference. "Now it is about what we can deliver tomorrow.

"That is where our entire focus is on. I have a lot of faith in the team."

"In my mentality there is no ranking (of competitions)," Kompany added. "It is always only about the next game.

"For us it is as important as a final because it is the next game and we want to win it and we will do everything to be successful.

"Mainz are strong in one-on-one (situations) and try to put pressure on with their compact game," Kompany added.

"It is a Cup game and no easy task. It is important that we keep at it."

Kompany led his side back to winning ways in the Bundesliga at the weekend with a 5-0 thrashing of Bochum after losing to Barcelona in the Champions League. 

Barca's 4-1 triumph ended a run of six games without a win against Bayern in the competition, leaving Kompany's men with three points from their first three games.

But victory over Bochum ensured they remained ahead of RB Leipzig on goal difference at the Bundesliga summit. 

Kompany has seen his team net 12 goals in their last three matches, and was happy with the players' response to their midweek humbling against Barca.

"We remained calm and worked on the details to get better," Kompany said of his team's efforts last week.

"That is the way it is now as well. Our goal is to take that next step."

Bayern Munich were rewarded for not underestimating bottom club VfL Bochum with a 5-0 win according to coach Vincent Kompany.

The Bavarians bounced back from their midweek Champions League loss at Barcelona as they delivered a five-star victory through five different scorers.

It means Bayern have now scored 29 league goals this season, the joint-highest tally after eight games of a Bundesliga campaign. Only they themselves have scored as many goals at this stage of a top-flight campaign, also doing so in 2021-22 and 1976-77.

Kompany ensured his side were in no mood for adventures against Bochum and despite an early chance for the hosts, they dominated the game.

"We played very seriously in this game. We lost here twice in the past three years, so there was no underestimating of the opponent," Kompany told a press conference.

"We conceded a big chance early in the first half, but I liked the fact that we stayed calm."

Bochum's Moritz Broschinski missed that opportunity, seeing his eighth-minute effort cleared on the line, before Bayern scored twice in the first half and another three times after the break.

Bayern are on 20 points, ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig on goal difference. Champions Bayer Leverkusen are in third place on 15. Bochum remain in last place with one point from eight games.

The win also meant Kompany, who had been criticised for Champions League defeats to Aston Villa and Barcelona, became the first coach in Bundesliga history whose team has netted 29 times in his first eight league games in charge.

The Belgian, who succeeded Thomas Tuchel, is in his first season in Munich.

"We stayed calm and serious from the first to the last minute," Kompany said. "The team did a good job. We just want to continue like this.

"We are very happy for what it (victory) does for us in the Bundesliga," he added.

Bayern Munich swept aside VfL Bochum 5-0 on Sunday to head back to the top of the Bundesliga.

Vincent Kompany's team were beaten 4-1 by Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek, but bounced back in style at Vonovia Ruhrstadion.

Michael Olise put them ahead with a fantastic free-kick in the 16th minute, with in-form Jamal Musiala heading home a second soon after.

Apart from an early chance that was cleared off the line by Kim Min-Jae, Bochum were no match for Bayern's power and the visitors struck three more times after the break.

Harry Kane grabbed a customary goal before Leroy Sane got in on the act and Kingsley Coman rounded off the victory.

Bayern are on 20 points, ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig on goal difference.

Champions Bayer Leverkusen are in third place on 15. Bochum remain anchored in last place with one point from eight games. 

Data Debrief: Goals galore

Bayern have now scored 29 league goals this season, the joint-highest tally after eight games of a Bundesliga campaign.

Only the Bavarians themselves have previously scored as many goals at this stage of a top-flight campaign, also doing so in 2021-22 and 1976-77.

Bayern ended the game with 19 shots, getting 10 of those on target, and having amassed 2.33 expected goals (xG) to Bochum's 0.56.

Vincent Kompany is hoping Bayern Munich will take the lessons learned from their defeat to Barcelona into their return to Bundesliga action against Bochum this weekend.

Despite Harry Kane cancelling out Raphinha's opener, the German outfit were swept aside at the Camp Nou, losing 4-1 to leave them 23rd in the new league standings.

The defeat saw Barcelona become the first team since Real Madrid in April 2014 to score three first half goals in a Champions League game against Bayern. 

Raphinha also became the fourth player to net a Champions League hat-trick against Bayern, after Roy Makaay, Sergio Aguero and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Bayern have, however, fared better in the Bundesliga. They remain unbeaten in their seven league games and are top of the table on goal difference, ahead of RB Leipzig.

But Kompany believes the defeat should not see his players lose sight of their aspirations this season as they aim to reclaim their Bundesliga crown from Bayer Leverkusen.

"We conceded four goals. But I would not just talk about that (defence). It's too easy. The responsibility lies with the entire team," Kompany said.

"We have the quality and players. I understand we lost and we have to accept the criticism.

"But I do not want to lose sight of what the boys can achieve if they take the next steps.

"The basis is that the team works and that it learns from such moments.

"We are not surprised that not all was perfect. It is normal. After all we did not win a title last season."

"There are games where it is clear what happened. But that was a game with a lot of moments and not everything went wrong," Kompany continued.

"There were also good moments which we did not use or were not too concentrated."

But Bayern have reason to be confident of recovering from their humbling defeat to Barcelona. 

They travel to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion in impressive form on the road, scoring 17 goals in their first four Bundesliga away games this season, which is a league record. 

Kompany's side have also found the back of the net at least three times in each of their last four top-flight games on their travels and would equal another league record should they do so again this weekend (set by Bayern themselves in 2019-20 under Hansi Flick).

But they have struggled to keep goals out at the other end.

Bayern have kept just one clean sheet in their last 15 Bundesliga away games, with only Bochum (31) conceding more goals on the road in 2024 than the Bavarians (29).

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany said his team's missed opportunities cost them in their 4-1 defeat away to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Harry Kane had equalised for Bayern after Raphinha's first-minute opener, but Robert Lewandowski scored against his former club before the Brazilian completed his hat-trick on either side of half-time.

The defeat was Bayern's second consecutive loss in Europe after being beaten 1-0 at Aston Villa last time out.

But Kompany said that this time, they had not made the most of their chances after Harry Kane had equalised in the first half. The German side controlled the game for long periods and registered 60% possession, while they had just one shot (11) fewer than Barcelona overall.

But Bayern Munich were repeatedly caught out by Barcelona's quick transition, with captain Raphinha scoring a hat trick in the rout.

"I think maybe one very, very simple analysis I can make is when you have control of a game, and you have so much possession in a place like today against a team like we played today, you have to use the opportunity to take the momentum away from the opposition team," Kompany told a press conference.

"The way it went in the start of the first half is what we thought we could achieve in this game. It was where it felt like we could edge this game. We felt like this could turn for us.

"But in key moments we got outdone and for that reason the result is fairly, fairly heavy. We played against a good team, but we have the ambition to win these games, so today we know we have to learn from this game so we are stronger going forward."

Wednesday's result leaves Kompany's side 23rd in the 36-team league with three points, while Barcelona are 10th.