One Arsenal loanee was given a trial by fire after making his debut for his new club in a 5-0 battering.
Mikel Arteta allowed six players to leave on deadline day at the end of the summer transfer window, including five loan departures, in a reshuffle of his first-team squad.
It didn’t take long for two of them, Fabio Vieira and Jakub Kiwior, to be blooded for the first time.
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But while Kiwior impressed on his first Porto outing, Vieira was less fortunate, finding himself on the wrong end of a thumping as Bayern Munich cruised to a one-sided victory over Hamburg.
Brutally, it was a former Tottenham Hotspur superstar who put Vieira’s new club to the sword, too.
Mikel Arteta reacts during Arsenal's 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Fabio Vieira makes nightmare Hamburg debut, Harry Kane scores twice
Vieira started the game and played 76 minutes, but by that point, the damage had already been done.
Bayern took the lead just three minutes in through Serge Gnabry, and the floodgates burst open, with Aleksandar Pavlovic, Spurs great Harry Kane and Luis Diaz all netting before half-time.
There was still time for Kane to notch his brace shortly after the hour mark, handing Vieira a brutal reminder of life at the top level after his limited game time at Arsenal in recent years.
It’s no surprise, then, that the forward was given an average 6.4 rating by Fotmob, having failed to record a goal contribution and mustered up just a single shot at the Allianz Arena.
German publication Norddeutscher Rundfunk were similarly unimpressed, saying that he had ‘failed to make an impact’ on his first competitive appearance for the Bundesliga side.
There was plenty of room for improvement for Vieira, who Mikel Arteta once dubbed as “dangerous”.
Fabio Vieira in action for Hamburg during their 5-0 defeat against Bayern Munich
Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images
Fabio Vieira’s stats against Bayern Munich
Vieira certainly tried his best to help his Hamburg team-mates create chances, recording 17 successful passes out of 20 attempts, or an 85% hit rate.
He carved out two openings, but his expected assists total stood at just 0.09, suggesting the chances were unlikely to result in a goal. His only shot, meanwhile, was not on target.
Vieira remained involved throughout, taking 31 touches, including one inside Bayern’s penalty area.
Statistic Total
Minutes played 76
Touches 31
Accurate passes 17/20 (85%)
Passes into final third 3
Shots on target 0
Shots blocked 1
Interceptions 1
Ground duels won 1/3 (33%)
Fabio Vieira’s stats vs Bayern Munich – Fotmob
He also made three passes into the final third and took three corners.
At the other end of the pitch, Vieira made one defensive contribution, showing his willingness to track back, and won one of his three ground duels.
A mixed day at the office individually, then, but he perhaps showed enough to convince Hamburg to turn his deal permanent next summer.
It appears to be a move that would work perfectly for both player and club, although he could reappear on the radar of Premier League teams after West Ham expressed an interest in signing Vieira in the summer.