With a gala by Robert Lewandowski and a real offensive firework, FC Bayern Munich walked into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
In the round of 16 second leg against RB Salzburg, coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team showed no nerves at all in a sovereign 7: 1 (4: 0) and kept the dream of a premier class triumph alive within eleven minutes thanks to a Lewandowski hat trick.
When captain Manuel Neuer came back, striker Lewandowski quickly cleared things up with a brace of penalties (12th/21st) and his 85th goal in the Champions League (23rd). Serge Gnabry increased before the break (31st) and made the 1-1 from the first leg finally forgotten.
After the change of sides, Thomas Müller (54th) met first. Joker Maurits Kjaergaard (71′) scored the consolation goal with a hammer in the short cross corner, before Müller (83′) followed up with his 52nd goal in the 132nd premier class game and Leroy Sané (86′).
“It was a statement and an exclamation mark,” said Neuer on “Amazon Prime Video”. He was happy about the optimal start with the double penalty. “We are very happy with the performance.” Neuer now hopes “that things will continue like this”.
The two-time goalscorer Müller summed it up: “It was a decent game. Everyone knew how important this game was for the season.”
Full offensive power at FC Bayern
Nagelsmann surprised with his starting XI before kick-off. The 34-year-old sent a back three and plenty of offensive power into the most important game of the season so far.
Bayern’s CEO Oliver Kahn was not among the 25,000 spectators in the Allianz Arena. The “Titan” who tested positive for Corona had to watch in his own four walls as the returnee Neuer passed him with his 104th Champions League game for Bayern.
In goal, Neuer, who had missed the last five competitive games due to meniscus surgery, had a quiet evening. Losing is forbidden was the motto of Munich, but Nagelsmann relied on only three nominal defensive players.
Salzburg cheeky at the beginning – then Lewandowski gets started
And the risk paid off, although the Bayern defense got into trouble after just two minutes. Kingsley Coman had to skate to the rescue at the last second after a big chance from Nicolas Capaldo on the counter. Lewandowski had previously failed after just a few seconds from a good position at German RB goalkeeper Philipp Köhn.
After the Bavarians had their troubles with the pressing machine from the city of Mozart in the early stages, Lewandowski made the difference again. Twice the Pole nibbled Salzburg’s Maximilian Wöber in the penalty area in an exemplary manner, twice he was only able to stop him with a foul, twice he missed Köhn with ice cold.
The “blatant outsider”, as the German RB coach Matthias Jaissle described the Austrian series champion before the game, quickly had no chance. The Bayern Express rolled unstoppably, and young national player Karim Adeyemi also remained inconspicuous in the Salzburg offensive.
Müller in goal mood after the change of sides
With just over half an hour played, Kingsley Coman served Gnabry, who was completely free, on the right side of the penalty area. The national player gave Köhn no chance with a low shot and was allowed to call it a day at half-time.
The Bavarians then shifted down two gears, but still got pinpricks again and again. After a nice combination, Müller sank a shot from 15 meters with his weak left foot into the right corner – and shortly before the end he played again with his left. Sané put the finishing touches.