Berlin, Aug 17 : Thomas Muller's brace paved the way for Bayern Munich's first round victory over lower league side Ulm at the curtain raiser of the German Cup on Friday.

Ulm came out with a purpose against the German giants and nearly scored within the first five minutes. Maurice Krattenmacher had the best chance of the game after Bayern failed to clear a free kick into the box, but his shot went wide, reported Xinhua.

The record champions made their mark in the 12th minute with a clinical finish from Joshua Kimmich, who delivered a pinpoint pass to Müller, who made no mistake and tapped home the opener from eight meters.

Müller was unstoppable. He stunned Ulm with the second strike three minutes later after Serge Gnabry's square pass allowed the former Germany international to slot home into the open goal.

Bayern continued to control the game with ease, even if Kompany's men failed to create any clear-cut opportunities before half-time.

After the break, Bayern's performance declined. Ulm seized the opportunity and created a double chance through Felix Higl and Dennis Chessa.

As the match progressed, head coach Vincent Kompany made the decisive move, fielding Kingsley Coman, Harry Kane and new arrival Michael Olise. This allowed Bayern to take control once more as Olise danced through Ulm's defense before Coman tapped home the 3-0 lead from five meters in the 79th minute.

Bayern weren't done yet. They made it four as Kane nodded home Müller's pinpoint cross into the box in the dying minutes of the match.

"We started strongly and dominated possession in the first half. After the break, we lost control and allowed Ulm to come back. We won 4-0 in the end, which was important as we got eliminated in the early rounds in the past years," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany.

In the other matches, Hoffenheim avoided an early exit after beating Wurzburger Kicker 5-3 on penalties. Mainz needed the overtime to overpower Wehen Wiesbaden 3-1, while St. Pauli eliminated Hallerscher FC 3-2 in extra time.



/IANS