Bayern Munich strengthened their defence of the German Cup title with a 6-1 victory over second-tier Magdeburg on Wednesday, October 28, advancing to the round of 16 despite resting newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane.
The Bundesliga leaders demonstrated their attacking depth at the Allianz Arena, with Michael Olise scoring twice and Ismael Saibari, Alphonso Davies, Nathaniel Brown and David Santos Daiber also finding the net.
The result keeps Bayern’s bid for another domestic cup trophy on course and provides momentum ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga showdown with Borussia Dortmund, followed by a Champions League trip to Atletico Madrid next week.
Kane, who became the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the Ballon d’Or, was named among the substitutes two days after his triumph at the ceremony in London.
The England captain received a guard of honour from his teammates before kick-off as supporters at the Allianz Arena celebrated his individual achievement. However, Bayern managed his workload by leaving him out of the starting line-up during a demanding run of domestic and European fixtures.
Assistant coach Aaron Danks, who again took charge from the touchline in Vincent Kompany’s absence, said the decision followed discussions with Kane and reflected the need to trust the wider squad.
“It wasn’t just for Dortmund and Madrid,” Danks said, explaining that Kane had played in every match for England during the previous international break and had accumulated significant minutes.
Danks added that Kane had been ready to play if required, but the coaching staff wanted to use the opportunity to rest him while maintaining confidence in the other available players.
Bayern made their attacking intentions clear early, with Olise opening the scoring in the 10th minute after Saibari supplied the final pass.
Magdeburg responded five minutes later when Mateusz Żukowski cut inside and beat goalkeeper Jonas Urbig to level the contest. Bayern restored their lead in the 21st minute, however, as Olise set up Saibari to finish over advancing goalkeeper Dominik Reimann.
The visitors remained competitive before half-time, with Barış Atik striking the post in stoppage time. Bayern returned from the break with greater control, turning a narrow advantage into a comprehensive victory.
Olise converted a penalty in the 51st minute after Davies was brought down in the box, before the Canadian defender scored in the 70th minute from a Lennart Karl pass.
Davies then assisted Brown three minutes later to extend the lead to 5-1, while teenager Santos Daiber completed the scoring in stoppage time after being set up by Josip Stanišić.
After the match, Danks acknowledged that Bayern had needed time to overcome Magdeburg’s resistance before taking control.
“It was a really positive night. It was difficult, obviously the final result is great but it felt different for long spells. In the second half, we found our rhythm and that gave us the control,” he said.
Defender Jonathan Tah also stressed that Bayern’s large victories should not obscure the work required to achieve them.
“The opponents were brave and tried to make things happen with the ball, but over time we got into our rhythm and the momentum swung our way,” Tah said, adding that the team’s collective preparation allowed players to step in when others were unavailable.
Brown, one of the five Bayern goalscorers, said the team’s immediate objective had been to secure qualification before turning its attention to the next challenge.
“We want to win every match, regardless of the opponents. Today we wanted to progress and now we concentrate on Saturday,” he said.
Brown also dedicated the performance to Kompany, who had been absent after collapsing during training the previous Friday.
“We also win for our coach. He should be resting but I hope we see him again soon,” Brown added.
Bayern will now prepare for the Klassiker against Dortmund, with the German Cup victory keeping their pursuit of silverware on track and demonstrating that their attacking options can deliver even when their leading striker is rested.
