The first half of the season is not over yet, and FC Bayern already has a double-digit lead in the Bundesliga table. The Munich team celebrated their 14th win of the season, a landslide, against VfL Wolfsburg.
In the first half it looked as if Lower Saxony should be able to take a point, as even 1. FSV Mainz 05 had managed to do. But after the break, the record champions flexed their muscles and quickly took a commanding lead.
In the end it was 8:1 (2:1) for the leaders, who are now eleven points ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
“The result stands for itself, including the way in which it came about. That was very convincing“, said Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer at the microphone. For the year 2026 he wished that “we maintain this consistency“.
Diaz and Olise excel
Luis Diaz and Michael Olise were the outstanding actors on Sunday (January 11th, 2026) at the end of the 16th match day. Both scored goals, Olise even scored two, and forced Wolfsburg to score an own goal each. Raphael Guerreiro, Harry Kane and Leon Goretzka also scored for Bayern.
Fischer opens with an own goal
The 2026 football year began for FC Bayern as many had expected. Less than five minutes had been played before the champions took the lead.
Diaz, who had recently caught the eye with a good defensive move, broke through on the left and crossed sharply in front of the goal. The ball was deflected and perhaps that’s why Kilian Fischer hit it so badly that it ended up in his own goal.
Wolfsburg without a win in Munich
Vincent Kompany clapped the bench in his 50th Bundesliga game as coach of FC Bayern, everything seemed to be going as usual because Wolfsburg has never won a game in Munich, even though they have been in the Bundesliga since 1997.
Diaz could have added more for the league leaders. He received a precise pass from Olise with his outside instep, but the finish wasn’t even half as good – a well-known problem for the Colombian (10th).
A move worth seeing leads to Pejcinovic equalizing
However, a 0-2 would have been very hard for Wolfsburg, who attacked bravely and early and generally looked for a playful solution.
In the 13th minute they found a particularly good one: After winning the ball in midfield, Lovro Majer played a perfect through ball to Dzenan Pejcinovic, who beat Manuel Neuer with a low shot. It was the center forward’s fourth goal of the season.
Neuer missed the 4-0 win at 1. FC Heidenheim at the end of 2025 due to an injury. He was now back, unlike Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala, who still need a little time before they can help with another six games in the busy January.
Diaz with his ninth goal of the season
Wolfsburg continued to fight back after the equalizer. Christian Eriksen even had the chance to put the fourteenth-placed team in the lead with a shot from just under 18 meters from a central position. The technically adept Dane tried with power instead of precision – and this attempt failed (23rd).
So everything went the way it had been expected. Olise crossed for Diaz, and this time the winger showed no weakness in his finishing. He scored with his head from about five meters to make it 2-1 for Bayern and his ninth goal of the season (30th). What would only be possible if Diaz had the callousness of Harry Kane in the penalty area.
Show of strength after the break
Wolfsburg’s coach Daniel Bauer probably said during the break that at least a point win would be possible. That wouldn’t have been presumptuous at all.
In retrospect, however, it was a whistle in the woods, because Bayern shone in the second half. Olise moved from the right side to the middle and flicked the ball wonderfully into the left corner (50th).
Three minutes later, the French international served Diaz, but Moritz Jenz did the job for him with the second own goal of the afternoon.
“Bayern have absolutely different players in the front rows. That was absolutely clear, and yet we collectively made it too easy for them with the two goals after the break“, coach Bauer argued with his team, which suffered the heaviest Bundesliga defeat in its history.
Kane shoots into the corner of the goal
Bayern were in a frenzy after the restart, Wolfsburg were demoralized and desolate. After a quick free kick, Kane passed it to substitute Guerreiro, who made it 5-1.
A minute later, Kane thought it was time for a goal of his own. So he took the ball and curled it into the right corner of the goal. It was the Englishman’s 20th goal of the season; six clubs in the Bundesliga have scored fewer goals.
Kane has now scored at least 20 goals in each of his three seasons at Bayern. Timo Konietzka had also achieved this before – almost 60 years ago.
An average of 3.94 goals per game
Because the shot went so well, Olise did it again and scored again (76′). Leon Goretzka, also a substitute, made the final score 8-1 (88th).
Bayern now have 63 goals after less than half of the season. This results in an average of 3.94 hits per game.
Bayern in Cologne, Wolfsburg against St. Pauli
The Munich team will now be guests at 1. FC Köln on Wednesday evening (8.30 p.m.). Wolfsburg will host FC St. Pauli at 6:30 p.m., who are still without a competitive game this year due to the cancellation of the game against RB Leipzig.