Costa dazzles as Bayern rout Hamburg
Reigning German champions kick-start season with 5-0 win
PHOTO: AFP
BERLIN:
Bayern Munich launched their bid to win a historic fourth successive Bundesliga title on Friday with a 5-0 rout of Hamburg as new signing Douglas Costa shone on his league debut.
Bayern’s established campaigners Robert Lewandowski, Medhi Benatia and Thomas Mueller, who netted twice, grabbed Bayern’s first four goals with Brazil winger Costa adding the fifth to seal a show-stopping performance.
Costa, who Bayern coach Pep Guardiola has said can be the best winger in the world, showed why the champions paid Shakhtar Donetsk €30 million for him in July.
The 24-year-old chested down a long pass before firing in a cross which led to Bayern’s third goal, then hit the back of the next with a crisp left-footed shot on 87 minutes.
“He’s [Costa] a superb player, I understand him very well already and he’s just going to get better with each game,” said Lewandowski’s.
Bayern, who won last season’s title by 10 points, are bidding to become the first team to win four Bundesliga crowns in succession in the third and final year of Guardiola’s contract.
“It was tough in the first half, because Hamburg defended with six players, but we did better in the second half,” said Guardiola. “I am happy with the debuts of Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal, they have a lot of quality and experience. They will help Bayern a lot.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2015.
Bayern Munich launched their bid to win a historic fourth successive Bundesliga title on Friday with a 5-0 rout of Hamburg as new signing Douglas Costa shone on his league debut.
Bayern’s established campaigners Robert Lewandowski, Medhi Benatia and Thomas Mueller, who netted twice, grabbed Bayern’s first four goals with Brazil winger Costa adding the fifth to seal a show-stopping performance.
Costa, who Bayern coach Pep Guardiola has said can be the best winger in the world, showed why the champions paid Shakhtar Donetsk €30 million for him in July.
The 24-year-old chested down a long pass before firing in a cross which led to Bayern’s third goal, then hit the back of the next with a crisp left-footed shot on 87 minutes.
“He’s [Costa] a superb player, I understand him very well already and he’s just going to get better with each game,” said Lewandowski’s.
Bayern, who won last season’s title by 10 points, are bidding to become the first team to win four Bundesliga crowns in succession in the third and final year of Guardiola’s contract.
“It was tough in the first half, because Hamburg defended with six players, but we did better in the second half,” said Guardiola. “I am happy with the debuts of Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal, they have a lot of quality and experience. They will help Bayern a lot.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2015.