On Tuesday, Bayern booked their spot in the round of 16 of this season's Champions League. That was hardly a surprise, given how die Roten have dominated the competition, and they expectedly cruised to a 5-2 win over Benfica - a team they'd crushed 4-0 less than a fortnight prior.
The match was also a special one for Polish ace Robert Lewandowksi, with the Bayern star netting a hat-trick during the rout.
Now hat-tricks and Lewandowski have become pretty synonymous, whether it's in the Bundesliga or in the Champions League. However, Tuesday's game was even more special for the 33-year-old as it marked his 100th appearance in European club football's premier competition.
In addition, Lewandowski has now scored 81 goals in the Champions League. Before completing his hat-trick, he hit 80 in 100 appearances, which is a new record in the competition in terms of fewest number of games to achieve that milestone:
ℹ️ Quickest to 80 Champions League goals:
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 2, 2021
1⃣0⃣0⃣ Robert Lewandowski
1⃣0⃣2⃣ Lionel Messi
1⃣1⃣6⃣ Cristiano Ronaldo#UCL pic.twitter.com/iMVZN9F3Iw
So far, he's scored a whopping eight goals in just four appearances so far, which makes him an early contender for top scorer in this season's tournament. Bayern will now await whoever they'll take on in the round of 16, but if their early form, spearheaded by Lewandowski, is any indicator, any team facing die Roten will surely view the upcoming two-legged clash with much trepidation.
