Sharjah24 – Reuters: Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick, set up another goal and missed a penalty in his 100th Champions League appearance as Bayern Munich crushed Benfica Lisbon 5-2 on Tuesday to cruise into the knockout stage with two Group E matches to spare.
The Pole headed in his first goal in the 26th minute and chipped in another just past the hour after also setting up Serge Gnabry for a sensational backheel flick in the 32nd.
The striker missed a penalty in first half stoppage time but sealed his hat-trick in the 85th minute. It was his 81st goal in the competition.
Benfica cut the deficit before the break with Morato's 38th minute header which was the first goal conceded by Bayern in four Champions League matches, but a superb Leroy Sane shot early in the second half had killed off any hopes of a comeback. The visitors scored again in the 75th with Darwin Nunez.
Bayern are top on 12 points following their fourth win in the group, with Benfica stuck on four. Barcelona moved into second place on six after beating Dynamo Kyiv, who are last with one point.
The top two teams advance to the knockout stage.
For an optimal experience, please
