Video ref landmark as Bayern win
Robert Lewandowski converted a second-half penalty, awarded by a video assistant referee intervention, as champions Bayern Munich opened the 2017/18 Bundesliga season with a 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.
The video assistant referee(VAR) is being trialled in the Bundesliga this season and came into play for the first time to spot that Lewandowski was fouled in the area in the second-half.
The Polish striker dutifully slotted home the penalty to put Bayern 3-0 up after new signings Germany defender Niklas Suele and France midfielder Corentin Tolisso scored with first-half headers.
Leverkusen deservedly pulled a goal back at 3-0 down when Swiss striker Admir Mehmedi capped off a bright passage of play with a fierce shot.
On a dramatic opening night, the start of the second half was also delayed by 15 minutes as torrential rain swept the stadium.
Having won last season's German league title -- their fifth in a row -- by 15 points, the thumping win in Munich suggests Bayern are in no mood to relax their iron-grip on the Bundesliga title.
The hosts were missing a host of injured stars at Munich's rain-lashed Allianz Arena including new club captain Manuel Neuer, defender Jerome Boateng and new-signing James Rodriguez.
Nevertheless, it took just nine minutes for Bayern to go ahead.
Centre-back Suele nodded Sebastian Rudy's free-kick past his Germany teammate, Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Bayern doubled their lead when the club's record signing Tolisso, who cost 41.5 million euros ($48.6m) from Lyon, headed home on 18 minutes when Arturo Vidal found him in the box.
Tolisso could have scored again soon after when he hit the post.
Torrential rain then forced the start of the second-half to be delayed by 15 minutes.
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