Without Harry Kane, Bayern Munich have a chance to reach the Champions League quarter-finals after destroying Atalanta

JAKARTA - There was no goal machine for Harry Kane when Bayern Munich crushed Atalanta 6-1 in the first match of the Champions League 16th round at the New Balance Arena Stadium, Bergamo, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 WIB. The crushing victory opened the door for Bayern to the quarter-finals.

Bayern did not come down with full strength. Kane who had recovered and could actually return to play but instead sat on the bench. Coach Vincent Kompany chose to give trust to Nicolas Jackson to occupy the position as a centre forward.

In addition to Kane, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer did not appear because he was still injured. In that match, Kompany did rotate the players Jamal Musiala, Leon Goretzka to the center back Kim Min-jae who sat on the bench.

However, Bayern is still too strong for Atalanta, who is the only representative of the Italian Serie A who is still in the Champions League. If it fails, then there will be no more representatives from Italy in the quarter-finals.

And, that's what will happen because Atalanta has lost badly in the first match held at home. They have to work extra hard to turn things around in the second match held at the Allianz Arena, March 19, 2026 early morning WIB. On the other hand, Bayern only needs a draw to secure a ticket to the quarter finals.

"We showed the performance we wanted. We were at our best throughout the game," Kompany said.

"But there is still a second match, so we have to stay focused. The key in this match is the right approach in playing. This is not the first time we have faced a team that likes to attack like Atalanta. So a match like that doesn't surprise us," he said.

The match itself was imbalanced. Bayern, who played offensively, was able to pressure Atalanta from the first minute. Even Michael Olise had tested goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi twice during the first five minutes.

Bayern finally broke the deadlock when the match entered the 12th minute. It started from Olise's corner kick which was received by midfielder Serge Gnabry and passed on to Josip Stanisic to be converted into a goal.

The 1-0 advantage made Bayern more eager to press the La Dea defense. Bayern only needed 10 minutes to increase the lead when Olise's shot from outside the penalty area broke the host's goal. Olise's second goal in the Champions League brought Bayern to a 2-0 lead.

Not long after or precisely in the 25th minute, Bayern again broke into the goal of the team coached by Raffaele Palladino. Olise again played a role in the process of creating the goal.

The first touch of the French national team player was successfully controlled by Gnabry, who then fired a shot that defeated Carnesecchi. Bayern won 3-0. No more goals were created and the score remained until the first half ended.

Entering the second half, Bayern continued to play offensively. They didn't give the opponent a chance to develop the game. As a result, the match only lasted seven minutes, FC Hollywood added another goal. This time, Jackson who welcomed Luis Diaz's assist changed the score to 4-0 in the 52nd minute.

Atalanta's nightmare continued. Olise successfully scored a brace that solidified Bayern's lead to 5-0 in the 64th minute. A goal that made Atalanta fans applaud.

Furthermore, Bayern did not give any mercy and for the sixth time broke the host's goal. Jackson's mature feed was completed by Musiala six minutes later.

Atalanta finally narrowed the gap when midfielder Mario Pasalic scored in injury time. The score changed to 6-1 for Bayern and lasted until the end of the match. Despite losing heavily, Atalanta players still received a welcome from fans after the match.

"We are still proud of our journey so far. Of course we are disappointed with the result that we did not expect. Bayern is a strong team and it is difficult to face a tough opponent," said Palladino.

"I want to thank the fans. They were the best in the game. We have to get up and focus on the league," he said again.

Meanwhile, Pasalic admitted that the team had to accept the defeat. "We have to accept it. Now, we will play with pride in the second match," he said.