Robert Lewandowski scored a brace as Barcelona started Champions League life without Lionel Messi with a sobering 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp.
Thomas Müller broke the deadlock in a first half of few chances with a deflected 25-yard strike on 34 minutes that left Marc-Andre ter Stegen stranded.
It means Müller has scored more goals against Barca than any other player in Champions League history with his seventh in six appearances at the expense of the Blaugrana.
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In truth, it was no more than the visitors deserved as the Germans bossed the proceedings without really getting out of second gear.
Barcelona handed a debut to Luuk de Jong but he failed to make an impression alongside the peripheral Memphis Depay as the hosts struggled to test Manuel Neuer throughout a one-sided affair.
The second goal was inevitable and it arrived on 56 minutes when Lewandowski netted for the 18th club game in a row when he touched in the rebound from Jamal Musiala’s shot against the post.
A repeat of the 8-2 quarter final humbling in the 2020 quarter finals was never on the cards but the Bavarians did add to their margin of victory when Lewandowski poached his second of the evening five minutes from time.
Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann will be delighted to maintain a positive start to his first campaign in charge while Ronald Koeman got an unwelcome dose of the reality off-the-field financial issues have had on his squad in terms of making them competitive at the very highest level.
Next up in Group E, Barcelona travel to Benfica while Bayern host Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday September 29.
More to follow…
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