SAP Garden was electric on Thursday night as coach Gordie Herbert inspired his team to a famous win over Real Madrid
Bayern’s new home already delivering top-class entertainment
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FC Bayern Munich boasts a sparkling new home for the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, with the 12,500-capacity SAP Garden opening its doors for the first time on Thursday night with a visit from Real Madrid.
And after a dramatic and glitzy official opening ceremony featuring Bayern club president Herbert Hainer, honorary president Uli Hoeness and the basketball section’s boss, Marko Pesic, the stage was perfectly set for the home team players to strut their stuff in a prestigious season opener against the mighty Real Madrid.
They did not disappoint.
With Euroleague Basketball President Dejan Bodiroga and CEO Paulius Motiejunas looking on – as well as Bayern football stars Serge Gnabry and Joshua Kimmich – coach Gordie Herbert’s men started their club’s new era with a spectacular offensive exhibition in the first half.
Andreas Obst was the first to shine, netting 8 points in 90 seconds, including the first two long-range strikes in SAP Garden. Then summer arrivals Johannes Voigtmann and Shabazz Napier joined in the fun by sinking three-pointers, allowing Bayern to christen its new home by scoring 25 points in the first eight minutes.
But Real Madrid are not exactly the kind of opponent to simply roll over and allow the hosts to enjoy their opening party with a comfortable win, and the Spanish giant showed its class by taking control of the contest and threatening to play the role of party pooper.
The first warning came at the end of the first quarter, when a 1-11 run was concluded by new Real signing Xavier Rathan-Mayes sinking an improbable half-court shot to beat the buzzer and give his team a 26-29 lead.
The second quarter saw Bayern again start strong before once more Real responded, with both teams producing impressively efficient offensive production at this early stage of the season. By halftime, Bayern had converted 9 of its 13 two-point attempts and 9 of 19 from long range, while Real was even more impressive with 15 of 18 from inside the arc and 4 of 9 from deep, allowing both teams to surpass the half-century mark with a 52-51 scoreline.
When Real then blasted clear in the third quarter, embarking upon a 0-13 run to take a double-digit advantage, Bayern fans would have been forgiven for thinking that their special opening night would end in disappointment.
But the home team players had other ideas, with triples from Voigtmann and Napier – new signings enjoying the bright lights of the new arena – taking Bayern back into the lead. Carsen Edwards was also on fire as Bayern scored 18 points in the first five minutes of the final period, and another Voigtmann three-pointer appeared to have sealed the deal as Real looked to be running out of steam.
The Spanish side cannot be written off so easily, though, and Facu Campazzo inspired a comeback which made it a one-point game, 90-89, with 20 seconds to play.
So, the new arena had a grandstand finale in a meeting between two of the world’s most famous sporting institutions. The perfect script had been written, and it was given a perfect ending for the hosts as team captain Vladimir Lucic – a Bayern stalwart since 2016 – stayed cool at the free-throw line to drag his team over the winning line.
The only problem now is that such a high bar has been set: can SAP Garden deliver such high-level entertainment every week? Surely not… but it will be fun to find out.