Bayern beat Wolfsburg with late winner

Bayern, who were missing injured winger Arjen Robben and striker Ivica Olic, were the livelier side early on, with Franck Ribery in superb form.

With Germany coach Joachim Low in the stands and the game seen in 197 countries, World Cup joint top scorer Thomas Muller fired the hosts into the lead in the ninth minute after combining beautifully with Toni Kroos.

Last season's Bundesliga top scorer Edin Dzeko grabbed a deserved 55th-minute equaliser for Wolfsburg when he headed in a Zvjezdan Misimovic corner to give fired-up former England coach Steve McClaren a reason to smile on his Bundesliga debut.

"A win and three points make me happy," said Bayern coach Louis van Gaal.

"For the first 15 minutes of the second half we just gave away too many balls. But then we were good and Ribery played for 90 minutes. That's unbelievable," he said of the Frenchman, who spent much of last season injured.

Van Gaal opted for a new-look central defence with Holger Badstuber partnering Daniel van Buyten, leaving out Argentine Martin Demichelis, who angrily refused to sit on the substitutes' bench before the start of the game.

McClaren brought on playmaker Misimovic in the second half to add pace and precision in midfield and two minutes after the restart Croatian Mario Mandzukic rattled Bayern's post with a beautifully-curled, low shot.

"We did not deserve that," McClaren told reporters. "We could have won this game."