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Bayern Munich brushed aside Viktoria Plzen 5-0 at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday (October 4) to take a giant leap towards the round of 16 of the UEFA champions League.
A brace from Leroy Sane coupled with strikes from Serge Gnabry, Sadio Mane and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting ensured a comfortable victory for the Bavarians.
Sane broke the deadlock in the seventh minute. Gnabry and Mane then piled on the misery for the visitors minutes later as Bayern led 3-0 after 21 minutes. Sane got his second five minutes after the restart before Choupo-Moting came off the bench to add gloss to the scoreline on the cusp of the hour mark.
With three wins from three, Bayern lead Group C with nine points and will confirm their place in the last 16 with a victory at Plzen next Wednesday (October 12).
On that note, here are the five major talking points from the game:
#5 Bayern surpass Real Madrid's group stage record
Bayern Munich have surpassed Real Madrid for the longest unbeaten run in the Champions League group stage. They've now gone 31 games unbeaten, winning a staggering 28 of them.
Los Blancos had set the incredible record for their undefeated streak in the group stage of the competition between 2012 and 2017.
Against Inter Milan and Barcelona, Bayern's unbeaten streak came under threat, but Julian Naglesmann's men prevailed 2-0 in both games to draw level with Madrid.
Thereafter, it was only a matter of time before the Bundesliga champions set a new milestone. They brushed aside Viktoria Plzen at the Allianz Arena to all but book their place in the knockouts, continuing an impressive streak that started in 2013.
#4 Serge Gnabry gets huge confidence boost
Amid Bayern's poor domestic form, Serge Gnabry has had his fair share of struggles, failing to score in his last eight games across competitions.
Naglesmann gave him an opportunity to make a case last night, and the Germany international made the most of that with a goal.
He doubled Bayern's advantage by slotting past the Plzen goalkeeper Marian Tvrdon after Leon Goretzka had laid off for him inside the box.
It was a simple goal against a modest opponent, but Gnabry got a much-needed boost in confidence after a long barren run in front of goal. He now might as well start again at the weekend (October 8) against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
#3 Deja vu for Viktoria Plzen
Viktoria Plzen's only previous visit to the Allianz Arena in 2013 ended in a crushing 5-0 defeat to Pep Guardiola's swashbuckling side.
Back then, a brace from Franck Ribery coupled with goals from David Alaba, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gotze ensured a comfortable victory for the Bavarians.
The Czech outfit returned to Munich after nine years only to realise that not much has changed, as they were dealt another 5-0 thrashing.
It was the second time in Europe this season Plzen have conceded five in a game, having lost 5-1 to Barcelona in their competition opener last month. Without a point in the bag after three games, Michal Bílek's side are rock bottom in Group C with a goal difference of -11.
#2 Jamal Musiala is the real deal
Jamal Musiala has grown from strength to strength since breaking into Bayern Munich's senior team in 2020 and has captured his best form this season.
The 19-year-old came into the game after bagging seven goals and five assists in 11 games and bagged another assist last night for Sane's opener.
He later appeared to have found the net himself, only for the goal to be ruled out for an offside play in the build-up.
However, that was the only aberration on an otherwise flawless night for Musiala, who played a key role in their buildup and troubled Plzen with his pace.
#1 Leroy Sane knows no stopping
Another player who has been in excellent form this season is Leroy Sane. He bagged two more goals last night to bring his tally to eight in all competitions, more than half of what he managed in the entirety of last season (14).
The German was a thorn in Plzen's face with his intelligent movements and devastating link-up plays.
He triggered the onslaught following a neat one-two with Musiala and then struck another one after the break, producing a great touch to slot home Mane's brilliant cross.
Sane is a different beast in the Champions League - he netted six times in 10 games last season. He now has four in the current one, more than anyone else right now.
