Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick, arrange one other objective and missed a penalty on his one centesimal Champions League look as they crushed Benfica 5-2 on Tuesday to cruise into the knockout stage with two Group E matches to spare.
The 2020 world participant of the 12 months headed house his first objective within the twenty sixth minute and chipped in one other simply previous the hour after additionally establishing Serge Gnabry for a sensational backheel flick within the thirty second. He did miss a penalty in first-half stoppage time however sealed his treble within the eighty fifth minute. It was his 81st objective in Europe’s elite membership competitors.
“I have no idea if it was the proper recreation as a result of I did miss a penalty,” Lewandowski mentioned. “However higher to overlook early than late within the recreation. Fortunately we scored a number of extra objectives and acquired the three factors.””I didn’t get the ball usually within the first 20 minutes however it’s important to keep patent as a striker. To be trustworthy I by no means thought I might ever play so many video games within the Champions League and rating so many objectives.
“Benfica reduce the deficit earlier than the break with Morato’s Thirty eighth-minute header, the primary objective conceded by Bayern of their 4 Champions League matches, however an excellent Leroy Sane shot early within the second half killed off hopes of a comeback. The guests scored once more within the seventy fifth by means of Darwin Nunez. Bayern are prime on 12 factors following their fourth win within the group and record-equalling 17 objectives, with Benfica on 4. Barcelona moved into second place on six after profitable 1-0 at Dynamo Kyiv, in final with one level. The highest two advance to the knockout stage.
Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski, left, heads the ball to attain his facet’s first objective through the Champions League group E match between Bayern Munich and Benfica Lisbon in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021.(AP Picture/Matthias Schrader)
With Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann again on the bench after a two-week absence attributable to a COVID-19 an infection, it was the Portuguese who had a greater begin after they put the ball within the web however the effort was dominated offside.
Lewandowski punished them not lengthy after, heading in a Kingsley Coman cross on the far submit to open his account. Earlier than Benfica had time to get well, Bayern, who per week in the past suffered their heaviest German Cup defeat ever with a 5-0 loss to Borussia Moenchengladbach, struck once more as Lewandowski arrange Gnabry whose backheel left keeper Odisseas Vlachodimos frozen.
The guests pulled a objective again when Brazilian Morato rose to move house seven minutes earlier than the break they usually grew extra hopeful when Lewandowski’s tame penalty was saved by Vlachodimos in stoppage time earlier than the interval.
However the hosts moved into turbo drive after halftime with Sane thundering in a half-volley to make it 3-1 earlier than establishing Lewandowski for a pleasant chip over the keeper within the 61st. The hosts have been caught napping with Darwin Nunez pulling a objective again with quarter-hour left. However Lewandowski was not but completed, bagging his fourth Champions League hat-trick within the eighty fifth to guide Bayern’s spot within the final 16.
