Bayern Munich prodigy Thomas Muller scored twice as the German giants won 3-0 at Maccabi Haifa in their Champions League Group A opener in Tel Aviv.

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Muller, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday, received a belated present on Tuesday, wrapping up the win for Louis van Gaal's side with two emphatic finishes in the final five minutes to end the stout resistance of their Israeli hosts.

Bayern had been given the lead in the 65th minute by an imperious shot from defender Daniel van Buyten, although it was a substitution seconds earlier by the Van Gaal that proved to be the game's turning point, with Mario Gomez's nuisance value key to the first goal.

Haifa were not shamed in defeat and will wonder what might have been had Yaniv Katan taken a very presentable chance at the start of the second half.

Bayern could have enjoyed an even more comfortable evening and had an early sight of goal but Ivica Olic, not for the final time in the half, wasted the opportunity. A long ball forward had Haifa's defence at sixes and sevens but, with Nir Davidovic hopelessly out of position, Olic could not get his third-minute effort on target.

Olic was culpable again in the 25th minute when he met Philipp Lahm's cross from the right but could not control his close-range shot at the near post.

The Croatian striker did find the finish four minutes later but unfortunately for him it was after the referee's assistant had raised his flag for offside. Olic met another cross from Lahm emphatically with his head to find the bottom corner of Davidovic's goal but the effort was chalked off.

However Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, dubbed Robbery in Germany following their prolific start to the season, were finding it difficult to pick the pockets of a defence well marshalled by Dekel Keinan.

Further forward Haifa's players were finding it a little harder to impose themselves, although Katan and Gustavo Boccoli lurked on the game's fringes with no little hint of menace.

The hosts, playing the match in the national stadium in Tel Aviv instead of their traditional home in Haifa, began the second half impressively and had two opportunities to open the scoring within eight minutes of the restart.

Katan had both of them, first shooting straight at Hans-Jorg Butt after a slip by Lahm and then, more wastefully, firing just as accurately at Butt after he had turned Van Buyten inside out.

Bayern sought to reassert the supremacy they had enjoyed in the first half and Robben saw a deflected free-kick from the edge of the area well saved by Davidovic.

It was a substitution in the 65th minute that turned the game almost instantly. Ribery's replacement Gomez was in the thick of it as the ball was only partially cleared by Keinan to Van Buyten who lashed an unstoppable shot into the back of the net from 10 yards.

Maccabi refused to yield without a fight but found Bayern goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt unbeatable. Vladimir Dvalishvili struck the ball first time at goal 10 minutes from time but Butt was equal to the effort.

That proved to be Haifa's final glimpse at an equaliser. The game was made safe for the Germans five minutes from time when Muller finished clinically from the edge of the area after a pass from Andreas Ottl.

The striker then rounded off the win, converting an 88th-minute cross from Gomez for his team's third goal.