Defending champions Bayern Munich set a European scoring record in their 3-2 win over Cologne on Sunday, the club’s first Bundesliga victory under new coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Serge Gnabry bagged a brace and Robert Lewandowski added to his goal tally to ensure Bayern became the only team among Europe’s top five leagues to have scored in 74 consecutive games in all competitions. The scoring run started after a 0-0 draw with Leipzig in February 2020, when Nagelsmann was on the other side of the technical area. Bayern previously shared the record with Real Madrid.

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Bayern, which is going for a record-extending 10th consecutive Bundesliga title, was held 1-1 by Borussia Mönchengladbach in the league’s opening game last weekend.

The defending champions were keen to make amends but received no gifts from new coach Steffen Baumgart’s hard-working Cologne team.

Thomas Müller missed a good chance in the eighth minute and Niklas Süle forced a good save from Timo Horn in the Cologne goal after pulling off a Zidane-style turn to get past a defender.

Nagelsmann reacted at the break by bringing on Jamal Musiala and Josip Stanišić for the ineffective Leroy Sané and Tanguy Nianzou.

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The changes had an immediate effect with Musiala missing a chance before doing brilliantly to set up Lewandowski for the opener in the 50th minute.

Gnabry got the second in the 59th with a volley to Thomas Müller’s cross. Anthony Modeste replied immediately with a header off Jonas Hector’s cross, two minutes before Mark Uth equalized for the visitors.

Gnabry was clearly in no mood to settle for a point, however. The Germany forward fired in his second goal inside the top corner from the right in the 71st.

There were tributes before the game for Gerd Müller, the former Bayern and West Germany great who was known as “Der Bomber” for his scoring prowess. Müller’s record 365 Bundesliga goals helped lay the foundations for Bayern’s success. Müller died last Sunday, aged 75.

“We will miss you very much,” former teammate and later Bayern president Uli Hoeneb told the stadium with tears in his eyes before kickoff.

(with AP inputs)