Bayern clinch 2-0 win over Atleti at Metropolitano; Karl and Laimer score in Champions League

Bayern Munich beat Atlético Madrid 2-0 at the Metropolitano in Madrid on Tuesday, November 3, with teenage Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer scoring in a Champions League-phase match that lifted the German champions to eighth place — despite arriving without coach Vincent Kompany and four injured starters.

The scoreline flattered no one and settled everything. Bayern racked up 19 shots to Atlético’s nine and finished with a 1.77 to 0.83 expected-goals edge, yet the decisive moments came from individual errors and individual quality rather than sustained pressure.

Karl and Laimer score to earn 2-0 win

After a goalless first half in which neither side registered a shot on target, Bayern broke through in the 54th minute. Karl caught Atlético defender Robin Le Normand dawdling on the ball inside the box and clipped the ball over goalkeeper Jan Oblak. It was Karl’s fifth Champions League goal of the season — as many as every other Bayern player under 19 has scored for the club combined.

𝙂𝙊𝘼𝙏𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧 things 🐐🧤 This guy has now the third-most appearances in Champions League history. 🔥✨ #UCL pic.twitter.com/fFZNe9RxUZ

— https://x.com/FCBayern/status/2117978642924081330

Laimer made it 2-0 in the 74th minute, collecting a precise pass from Harry Kane and smashing a right-footed shot into the roof of the net. Bayern had been the better side throughout the second half: they won 60 percent of duels, while Atlético managed only 39 final-third entries. Dayot Upamecano also had a header disallowed and another effort tipped onto the crossbar by Oblak.

A skeleton crew without Kompany

Bayern’s win carried an asterisk the size of their injury list. Jamal Musiala, Luis Díaz, Serge Gnabry and Ismaël Saibari were all unavailable, and Kompany watched from afar after falling ill with a meningitis-related condition, leaving assistant coach Aaron Danks to run the show from the dugout.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 🔥 Yesterday's 𝙬𝙞𝙣 over Atlético takes us to 15 games 𝙪𝙣𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙣 this season – We're the only team from Europe's top five leagues that is still unbeaten. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/PWujTLXO4L

— https://x.com/FCBayern/status/2117920896002539983

Before kick-off, both teams wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence for Jesús de Miguel, a Tenerife player who died after a heavy collision, and the Champions League anthem was not played in respect for the victims of a train crash in Ordia that killed 69 people, according to the match reporting.

Laimer, named UEFA’s man of the match, put the performance in context afterward:

Bayern clinch 2-0 win over Atleti at Metropolitano; Karl and Laimer score in Champions League — Photo: The Guardian

There was a lot of noise around us heading in but we’re very convinced of the squad we have, of the players we’ve got at our disposal and I think we showed over 90 minutes the type of football we can play. We could’ve scored another goal or two. It was a very deserved win against a good team and an important three points.

Konrad Laimer, Bayern Munich midfielder, speaking to Amazon Prime

Kane's record near-miss at a stadium of bad memories

Harry Kane made his first European appearance since winning the Ballon d’Or and did not score — ending his personal run of 10 consecutive Champions League games with a goal, one short of Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 11. He took five shots, none on target, but still supplied the assist for Laimer’s second goal.

The venue carried weight for Kane: he had said the night before that the Metropolitano brings back bad memories — a reference to the 2019 final there, which Liverpool won 2-0 — adding that he hoped to be able to replace them with good ones. For Bayern, the result was historic in its own way: their first Champions League victory at the Metropolitano. The stadium will host the final on June 5.

The impact of Bayern's ball-winning high up the field against Atleti 🧐 Analysis 👉 https://t.co/UR11tvK39m#UCL pic.twitter.com/eiYWkYm3vf

— https://x.com/ChampionsLeague/status/2117978065695318136

Eight points, eighth place — and a November 25 doubleheader

The win moved Bayern to eighth in the 36-team league phase with eight points from two wins and two draws, keeping them unbeaten and inside the top eight that advance directly to the round of 16. Atlético were left on four points in the lower reaches of the table, their inconsistent European campaign continuing despite a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions coming in.

The two Korean internationals on opposite sides — Bayern’s Kim Min-jae and Atlético’s Lee Kang-in — both came off the bench and shared the pitch for roughly 20 minutes, with Kim joining the attack and Lee unable to find a way through. Both teams return to action on November 25: Bayern host Lille while Atlético visit Norwegian champions Viking.