Bayern Munich 7-1 (8-2 on agg.) RB Salzburg
Bayern Munich are through to the Champions League quarter finals after a thumping win over RB Salzburg at the Allianz Arena.
The prolific Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick within 23 minutes as the Austrian champions collapsed, and Serge Gnabry added another before the half time break. Thomas Muller with a second half brace and Leroy Sane piled on the Bayern goals while Salzburg’s Maurits Kjaergaard scored a superb consolation.
It was pure Bayern ruthlessness.
Highlights of the game
With Ajax striker Sebastian Haller leading the race for the Champions League Golden Boot with 11 goals, Lewandowski started the game two behind but still favourite to win that particular race, at odds of 1.72, though after tonight’s performance that price will have plummeted. Bayern’s top striker was so close to opening the scoring in the very first minute, when he collected a pass from Thomas Muller and fired a shot low towards the bottom corner but Salzburg keeper Phillip Kohn got down well to save.
A Salzburg win would have been the biggest Champions League 2022 newsof the week but they too started brightly as Nicolas Capaldo had a shot blocked on two minutes and then Rasmus Kristensen met a corner and guided his header narrowly wide. But it took only 12 minutes for Bayern to go ahead as Lewandowski won and converted a penalty. Kingsley Coman fired a cross in and as the Polish striker swivelled and prepared to shoot his legs were taken from under him by Maximilian Wober.
Spot kick given and spot kick taken, with Lewandowski’s customary efficiency.
But Wober didn’t learn. Five minutes later he tripped Lewandowski in the box. Spot kick given and converted again!
2-0, and then Lewandowski made it 3-0 from close range when he was alert to slot the ball home after an attempted clearance from Kohn hit him and bounced off the post. And that goal took Lewi to the top of the 2021/22 Champions League goal scorers list. Just on the half hour Gnabry made it 4-0 when he took a touch to take out a defender before sliding the ball past Kohn and that was pretty much game over.
Early in the second half Muller got in on the act when he found space in the centre of the penalty area and beat Kohn with a well taken left foot shot; and the big striker almost grabbed his second when he hit a sweet shot after good work from Joshua Kimmich, but this time Kohn saved.
And Salzburg grabbed their consolation goal when 18 year old Maurits Kjaergaard finished off a counter attack with a brilliant left foot strike into the roof of the net which will live long in his memory.
But Bayern weren’t done and Leroy Sane got into the act, first sliding through a great ball to tee up Muller’s second before adding the seventh with a fine finish from a tight angle.
Key statistics
The latest Champions League 2022 betting odds pitch the Bavarians as third favourites to win the 2022 trophy and on this evidence they could easily go all the way.
Bayern have won all six games they have played at home against Austrian teams.
This was the fourth time in eight Champions League games that Bayern scored four or more.
Robert Lewandowski’s opener was his 40th goal, in all competitions, in seven consecutive seasons.
What’s next?
There’s more Champions League action on Wednesday night when it’s the turn of Manchester City and Sporting Lisbon when the Sky Blues will surely finish the job with a 5-0 first leg advantage. But the tie between Real Madrid and PSG is in the balance after Kylian Mbappe gave the French side a narrow advantage with a 94th minute winner at the Parc des Princes. It’s a game SBOTOP will be covering, so keep it here for all the up-to-date news and the best action.
Back in the Bundesliga Bayern are the team everyone in Germany wants to beat and they have a tricky journey on the horizon to play TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday. Sebastien Hoeness has led TSG 1899 to fourth place in the league table thanks to four consecutive league victories, and fans of second placed Borussia Dortmund will be desperate to see his team beat the Bavarians.
Salzburg are 18 points clear at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga table and on Sunday they host second placed SK Sturm Graz who are in decent form, with two wins and three draws from the last five games.
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