Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski went from zero shots against RB Salzburg in the first leg to plundering a 22-minute hat-trick in the second-leg Champions League clash.
Salzburg secured a 1-1 draw against the current champions of Germany in last month’s first-leg round-of-16 tie at the Red Bull Arena last month.
However, Bayern made a strong start to the second leg on Tuesday night and the in-form Lewandowski fired his side into lead from the spot-kick in the 12th minute.
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Maximilian Wober brought down Lewandowski right on the edge of the Salzburg penalty box, with VAR reviewing the challenge and Bayern earning a second penalty.
The 33-year-old Bayern striker expertly dispatched past Philipp Kohn and put his side 2-0 up at the Allianz Arena.
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Not long after his penalty brace, Lewandowski completed his hat-trick after charging down an onrushing Kohn, who attempted to clear the ball.
The former Borussia Dortmund star then poked the ball into the empty net after it bounced back off the post, with Julian Nagelsmann’s men in full control of the tie.
Lewandowski, whose Bayern future has been uncertain in recent weeks, has now scored over an incredible 40 times across all competitions this season.
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The Poland captain has hit or surpassed the 40-goalscoring mark for the seventh consecutive campaign in his remarkable playing career.
“There should be a movie on Lewandowski! Man is brutal,” one fan said.
Someone else tweeted: “Robert Lewandowski bags a hat-trick and [it’s] HT. This man is out of this world.”
A third Twitter user wrote: “Death, taxes [and] Robert Lewandowski scoring goals... What a player!!!”
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While a fourth added: “Lewandowski should be named the best and deadliest striker in the last decade. No disrespect to [Luis] Suarez but this man here is a beast.”
Bayern have moved one step closer to the quarter-finals after Serge Gnabry grabbed his side’s fourth in the first half.
Salzburg lost possession while trying to play out from the back and were punished by Bayern, with Kingsley Coman playing the ball into the path of ex-Arsenal man Gnabry.
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Bayern lead Salzburg 4-0 going into half-time at the Allianz Arena, with Nagelsmann’s men leading 5-1 on aggregate.
Topics: Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich, Champions League, Football, Red Bull Salzburg