Bayern 7-1 Salzburg (agg: 8-2): Lewandowski treble helps dismantle Austrian side
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Article summary
Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick inside the first 23 minutes as Bayern cruised into the last eight.
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Bayern were at their clinical best as they blew Salzburg away in this UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg, Robert Lewandowski scoring the first three of their seven goals.
Key moments
12': Lewandowski with opener from the penalty spot
21': Striker again converts penalty after Wöber foul
23': Lewandowski taps in for his quickfire hat-trick
31': Gnabry drills in Bayern's fourth before the break
54': Müller drives fifth from edge of the area
70': Teenager Kjærgaard with fine Salzburg reply
83': Müller grabs his second from flowing move
86': Sané hammers in from Lewandowski back-heel
Match in brief: Ruthless hosts rack up the goals
If Bayern were somewhat subdued during their 1-1 draw in Austria in the first leg, they were anything but in this Munich return. Lewandowski, not for the first time, spearheaded the goal glut for Julian Nagelsmann's men, converting two penalties after being felled by Maximilian Wöber twice then blocking a clearance from goalkeeper Philipp Köhn and tapping in to seal a quickfire hat-trick.
Serge Gnabry all but rubber-stamped Bayern's place in the last eight with a fourth goal before half-time but there was no let-up after the break. Thomas Müller gleefully helped himself to two goals, either side of Maurits Kjærgaard's excellent consolation, with Leroy Sané thumping in number seven late on – it was a record seventh time the Bavarian outfit had hit seven in a game in the competition.
PlayStation® Player of the Match: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern)
"Three goals, one assist – he's always really important. Even though Bayern were on top, the three goals changed the game completely. Salzburg tried to attack but went 3-0 down because of the individual class of Lewandowski and his technical ability. One on one, he was too strong throughout the game for the centre-halves."
UEFA Technical Observer panel
Jordan Maciel, Bayern reporter
The hosts cruise into the quarter-finals thanks to a near-faultless performance that will both restore confidence and relieve pressure in Munich – for now, at least. Tougher tests will await as we enter the business end of the competition but, with Lewandowski fit and firing, the six-time winners simply cannot be ignored.
Jürgen Baumgartner, Salzburg reporter
A cruel ending to a really strong Champions League campaign for Salzburg. Tonight they lacked the cleverness and quality of a world-class team like Bayern. It could have been a different story if Salzburg had made one of their early chances count but they didn’t, and so the match was decided by half-time. Salzburg still became the first Austrian team to qualify from the group stage, and that's a great success.
Reaction
Manuel Neuer, Bayern goalkeeper: "That was a statement win. I think we started well and had the penalties and from there it just took off. We're very happy with the performance today. I think we showed a different side of ourselves today and didn't concede as many chances on the break."
Thomas Müller, Bayern forward: "There wasn't any uncertainty before the game. Tension, sure. Everyone knew about the game and its importance. Things went well for us today. We had the luck that was completely missing in Salzburg. We could have gone 1-0 down after five minutes. You're always a little dependent on situations like that, but overall we were better."
Rasmus Kristensen, Salzburg defender: "Today it was an opponent on a different level. We had some chances but if you don’t make them count, it is difficult. We gave everything but it wasn’t enough. It had nothing to do with attitude, focus or the match plan. They were simply better in all aspects."
Joe Cole, BT Sport
"When you go to Bayern and play with that high aggression and high line, you can be punished by players like Gnabry, Sané and Lewandowski. Salzburg have seen the elite level of European football tonight and they will not forget this."
Key stats
- Lewandowski's hat-trick was his fifth in the competition. Only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (both eight) have more.
- The Polish striker has reached 85 Champions League goals in 104 games, quicker than any other player with Messi second on that list (107).
- Lewandowski's hat-trick is the earliest ever scored by a player in Champions League history (group stage to final) from the start of a match, overtaking Marco Simone for Milan versus Rosenborg in September 1996 (24 minutes).
- Bayern have lost only one of their last 18 matches in the Champions League round of 16 (W12 D5).
- Salzburg have won only three of their 13 Champions League matches outside of Austria (D3 L7).
- The Austrian side have only kept one clean sheet in their last 23 Champions League matches.
Fantasy star performers
Robert Lewandowski – 24
Leroy Sané – 14
Thomas Müller – 11
Line-ups
Bayern: Neuer; Pavard, Süle (Nianzou 66), Hernández (Upamecano 60); Gnabry (Sarr 46), Kimmich, Musiala (Roca 66), Coman (Choupo-Moting 66); Sané, Müller; Lewandowski
Salzburg: Köhn; Kristensen, Solet (Piątkowski 46), Wöber, Ulmer; Camara (Tijani 67); Capaldo, Aaronson, Seiwald (Sučić 46); Adamu (Kjærgaard 61), Adeyemi (Šeško 62)