Bayern rout Hamburg 8-0
BAYERN MUNICH gave Hamburger SV another thrashing at home in the Bundesliga yesterday with Robert Lewandowski scoring a hat-trick in an 8-0 rout before coach Carlo Ancelotti took pity on the visitors.
Lewandowski was replaced with the score at 5-0 and more than half an hour to play.
Bayern lead Hamburg 45-3 on aggregate over eight straight defeats for the northern team in Munich.
After several lacklustre performances in the league, Bayern stepped up a level against Hamburg, playing at pace with determination and commitment, dominating possession and forcing the game.
“It was a perfect day, a perfect game,” Ancelotti said of his 1,000th competitive game as a coach. “I told my players before the game to play a good game for my jubilee, but I didn’t expect this.”
It was only a matter of time before the first goal came. David Alaba ran at the Hamburg defence, found Thomas Mueller in the centre, and the Germany forward laid it back for Arturo Vidal to rifle in the ball despite Rene Adler’s hand in the 17th.
STRUCK THE CROSSBAR
Lewandowski struck the crossbar from close range a minute later, but he claimed his 17th of the season from the penalty spot minutes later, after Mergim Mavraj brought down Mueller, who has endured a difficult season.
Lewandowski’s league-leading 18th came before the break, when Mueller chased down a hopeless-looking ball, pulled it back for Douglas Costa, who was blocked, only for Lewandowski to cleverly send the rebound in under the crossbar.
The Poland striker completed his hat-trick in the 54th, set up with a back-heel from Arjen Robben, and he was involved in Bayern’s fifth goal, too, sending Mueller through to set up Alaba two minutes later.
Other results: Leizig 3 Cologne 1; Freiburg 0 Dortmund 3; Bayer Leverkusen 0 Mainz 2; Darmstadt 1 Augsburg 2.