Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich scored a goal in the second half to earn the home team a 1-0 Champions League victory over Benfica on Wednesday, helping them recover from consecutive losses.
In the 67th minute, Germany midfielder Musiala broke the scoreless draw with a close-range bulletheader.
Bayern was controlling the game and had missed multiple opportunities.
With six points from four games, the Germans moved up to 17th place, while Benfica, who lacked offensive bite, was in 19th place with six points.
This season, the premier club competition in Europe has moved from a group stage to a league phase, with 36 clubs playing eight matches each.
The top eight teams in the table advance straight to the next round, while the remaining 16 teams compete in a two-leg playoff.
After back-to-back losses to Aston Villa and Barcelona in the tournament, the Bavarians were eager to bounce back to winning ways, and the game began with a 15-minute delay as fans arrived late due to train issues.
They had trouble breaking through a densely packed Portuguese defence at early, but they eventually got better, and Harry Kane had his first opportunity.
In the 39th minute, keeper Anatoliy Trubin denied Michael Olise’s rebound attempt and Kane’s shot, bringing them even closer.
Before Trubin sent Leroy Sane’s attempt wide on the hour, Kane attempted a solo run into the box and low drive in the 54th minute. Musiala’s header from a Kane assist broke the stalemate and gave Bayern, who are unbeaten and leading the Bundesliga, a well-earned lead.
With only one attempt on goal against Bayern’s 23 during the game, the visitors had been successful for extended periods of time in absorbing the pressure but had little offensive potential.
