UEFA Champions League 2019-20: 3 talking points from Bayern Munich's 6-0 win over Crvena Zvezda
Bayern Munich started their Matchday 5 game against Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, secure in the knowledge that a place in the Round of 16 was already theirs but that the top spot in the group was still up for grabs.
Coach Hansi Flick made four changes to the team which won at Dusseldorf over the weekend. Jerome Boateng returned to central defence in place of David Alaba, and in came Thiago, Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman respectively in place of Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry.
Goretzka opened the scoring for Bayern before Robert Lewandowski ran amok, hammering four goals in next to no time. Corentin Tolisso applied the coup de grace in the 89th minute as Bayern sealed the top-spot in the group with a 'bagel tennis-set' win in the Serbian capital.
Here are 3 talking points from the game:
#1 The Lewandowski show
Having seen his stunning 11-game scoring run in the Bundesliga come to an end against Dusseldorf, Robert Lewandowski was determined to get on the scoresheet. He drilled a sixth-minute effort straight at the Crvena keeper Borjan, and a minute later the Prolific Pole shot wide when one-on-one with Borjan.
Lewandowski soon had another effort at goal thwarted by the home team's custodian, but it was clear he meant business. Such was his and Bayern's ascendancy in the Serbian capital that after 30 minutes, the Bavarian club tallied 70% possession and 13 shots on goal to none from the hosts.
Lewandowski did manage to beat Borjan and curl the ball into the net three minutes before the breather. But the goal was disallowed by VAR owing to a handball by Corentin Tolisso in the build-up, and the teams headed to halftime with Bayern leading by a solitary goal.
Following a handball by Milos Degenek early into the second period, Bayern were awarded a penalty. Bayern's prolific marksman stepped up and beat Borjan for the second time in the game.
This time the goal stood, and Lewandowski became the first player to score in all five Champions League games this season. In the process, the Poland striker emulated Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring in nine consecutive group-stage games in the competition.
At the hour mark, Lewy's second of the game and eighth of the season broke a tie with Salzburg's Erling Braut Haaland, and the prolific Pole went top of the Champions League scoring charts this season.
Much to the misfortune of the home team though, Lewandowski was from done for the day. Five minutes after scoring his second of the game, Bayern's prolific marksman headed home a fine cross from Benjamin Pavard to register his first Champions League hat-trick in four years (Dinamo Zagreb, 2015-16 group-stage).
By now, the result of the game had became a long forgone conclusion. Bayern and Lewandowski were scoring for fun.
Midway through the second half, the Poland international made a neat interplay with Ivan Perisic before calmly slotting the ball past Borjan. This completed his first four-goal haul in the Champions League since he netted all four for Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2012-13 semifinals.
In the process, Lewandowski (14 minute 31 seconds) also registered the fastest quadruple haul in Champions League history.
With his fourth of the night, Lewandowski became the first player since Lionel Messi to score four goals in a Champions League game on multiple occasions. Lewandowski now has 27 goals (16 in the Bundesliga, 10 in the Champions League, one in the DFB Pokal) in 20 games in all competitions this season.