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.

Bayern was smarting from Wednesday’s 5-0 loss at Borussia Mönchengladbach within the cup, and it rebounded by ending Union’s 21-game unbeaten run at house within the league.

It was a scientific efficiency from the table-topping guests, with Lewandowski starring early on and Leroy Sané getting the third objective, earlier than Kingsley Coman and Thomas Müller made positive of the end result after Niko Gießelmann and Julian Ryerson had stored Union’s hopes alive.

Union followers had been ready greater than two years to see their group host Bayern on the Stadion An der Alten Försterei since incomes promotion in Might 2019. Bayern’s earlier two video games in Berlin’s jap borough of Köpenick have been performed with out followers current as a consequence of coronavirus restrictions. Some 16,500 have been allowed Saturday regardless of rising an infection charges for Union’s greatest crowd because the pandemic began.

Targets both facet of halftime from Thorgan Hazard and Steffen Tigges have been sufficient for Borussia Dortmund to beat Cologne 2-0, high-flying Freiburg stayed third with a 3-1 win over last-place Greuther Fürth, and Wolfsburg defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 away in Florian Kohfeldt’s first sport as coach.

Additionally, Mainz received 2-1 at Arminia Bielefeld.

Eintracht Frankfurt performs Leipzig later Saturday.