In what was a historic night at the Allianz Arena Bayern overcame one of their toughest domestic adversaries by five goals to one. Each and every one of those five goals coming from striker Robert Lewandowski, all of them scored within nine minutes after the start of the second half. He had only come off the bench at the break.
In truth this was a match that Wolfsburg could have very easily won. No, really. The first 45 minutes were one in which the travelling side frustrated Bayern with clear, precise counter attacking football and to their credit they took the lead through Daniel Caligiuri in the 26th minute.
In a move the home crowd had seen a dozen times in the opening 25 minutes, Wolfsburg pushed the ball out to Julian Draxler on the left wing and he had time and space to chip a pass through to his colleague on the opposing flank. Once he’d composed himself, Caligiuri smashed the ball on the half-volley past Manuel Neuer to put Wolfsburg in front. It was a fine goal in its own right, but not many will remember it now.
At half time Pep Guardiola had a decision to make. Just how was he going to breakthrough this Wolfsburg side? The answer was a simple substitution. Lewandowski on for the ailing Juan Bernat. Fifteen minutes later, the German champions were home and hosed and at 5-1 they were on course for a famous win.
Lewandowski had once again pulled out all the stops on the biggest of stages and proved just why he is regarded as one of strikers in world football today, if not the best.
Bayern fans are of course no strangers to the talents of the towering striker, having netted no fewer than 25 goals in his debut season for the club in 2014-15. He scored in both clashes with his former club, Borussia Dortmund, as well as six goals in 12 Champions League appearances, two of which coming in another stunning comeback against Porto in the quarter-finals.
We’ve also seen him net six goals in his last three games for Poland - including a two-minute hat trick against Georgia - as they continue to push Germany for top spot in their Euro 2016 qualification group.
Yet this performance is one that will remind many of his time at Dortmund, when he and Jurgen Klopp’s men regularly upset the order against some of the continent’s most established clubs.
Although the opponent or the stage may not have been as prestigious on Tuesday night, the manner in which Lewandowski ferociously tore through Wolfsburg’s defence was reminiscent of that heady semi-final clash with Real Madrid on a cold night in April, 2013, when the Pole put four goals past the most successful club in European history. The final three of that haul came in the space of 17 minutes.
The season before that he had netted a hat-trick in the DFB Pokal final against his current club, when Dortmund beat Bayern 5-2 to claim the domestic double over their Bavarian rivals.
Whichever way you look at it, Lewandowski has always stepped up when needed. It seems the higher the level of opposition, the better he performs. He seems to thrive on the biggest stage.
Tuesday night was a masterclass in how a complete forward is supposed to play his role. In a modern game obsessed with free-scoring wingers and false No.9s, Lewandowski seems to stand alone as a powerful, old-fashioned striker who can header the ball in from five yards just as well as he can thump a shot in from 30.
Dortmund fans knew it, Poland fans love it and Bayern fans are quickly coming round to the very simple truth: Lewandowski is the ultimate big-game striker.
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