“Olise shines as Bayern dispatches Atalanta with six goals.”

On the night that Bayern Munich made a grand statement, Michael Olise was the star who even overshadowed the absence of captain Harry Kane. The Bavarian giant crushed Atalanta with an impressive 6-1 victory in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, leaving an indelible mark and a clear warning to their European rivals.

Olise, who delivered an electrifying performance, was involved in the first three goals of his team, helping the Bundesliga champions establish a commanding lead within the first 25 minutes. With Kane on the bench, still recovering from a calf injury, Bayern did not need their star striker to demonstrate their offensive strength. The Frenchman was decisive from the outset: a meticulously executed quick corner found Serge Gnabry, who assisted Josip Stanisic to open the scoring in the 12th minute.

Just 10 minutes later, Olise did what he does best, scoring from outside the box with a well-placed shot before sending Gnabry on a run to extend the lead by beating Marco Carnesecchi, Atalanta’s goalkeeper. Olise’s magical afternoon did not stop there; Nicolas Jackson and Jamal Musiala also scored, while he completed his second goal, allowing Bayern to reach six goals by the 67th minute. The only response from Atalanta was a late goal from Mario Pasalic, which did not change the outcome of the match.

With this victory, Bayern established an unbeaten streak of nine away games, placing themselves in a dominant position for the second leg, scheduled for March 18 at the Allianz Arena. Coach Vincent Kompany did not hold back in praising his team’s performance: “It was that kind of performance we wanted. We were dangerous throughout the game. We have talent and quality in the team, so it’s no surprise when the boys deliver like this.”

What really surprised was how Bayern managed such dominance without Kane, who, since the start of the current season, has been directly involved in 33 goals in 33 Champions League matches, a feat that makes him the most influential player in the competition at this stage. Olise, with his performance, became the first French midfielder since Zinedine Zidane in 1998 to register seven or more goal contributions in consecutive Champions League campaigns, an impressive achievement for a player just 24 years old.

Currently, Bayern leads the Bundesliga with an 11-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund, and this display in the Champions League only solidified their position as one of the favorites to win the European title for the seventh time. The promise of an electrifying clash in the second leg is in the air, as Bayern continues to take steady steps toward glory.