The stats don’t lie: Michael Olise had himself a game in Bayern Munich’s 6-1 demolition of Atalanta

Bayern Munich signaled their intent in the Champions League knockout stage by storming into Bergamo and dismantling Atalanta 6-1, a statement victory orchestrated largely by the irrepressible Michael Olise. The 24-year-old French winger claimed Man of the Match honours and, on the evidence of the raw numbers, the accolade was never in doubt.

Olise’s fingerprints were everywhere: two goals, one assist, four key passes, and a pass-completion rate of 91 percent from 67 attempts. He also won six of nine duels, completed five successful dribbles, and created three big chances, leaving the Atalanta back line in perpetual rotation as they tried—and failed—to track his movement across the final third.

While the scoreline radiated dominance, the evening was not without concern for the Bavarians. Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, and goalkeeper Jonas Urbig all left the pitch with injuries, forcing coach Vincent Kompany into unplanned reshuffles. Yet the squad’s depth shone through: five different players found the net, and remarkably none of them answered to the name Harry Kane. The England captain watched from the stands, yet his teammates proved Bayern can be every bit as ruthless in his absence.

Elsewhere on a frenetic European night, Newcastle United held FC Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park, Atlético Madrid thumped Tottenham Hotspur 5-2, and Liverpool slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Galatasaray. But the headline act belonged to Bayern and Olise, whose statistical masterclass underlined why the German giants invested in his talent.

For further analysis of Bayern Munich and German national-team developments, listeners can catch the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any major podcast platform.