Die Roten ran riot at the Allianz Arena to go top of Group F and
send the beleaguered Ligue 1 outfit out of the competition with zero
points to their name after four matches
Bayern Munich knocked Lille out of the Champions League with a resounding 6-1 victory, thanks in no small part to Claudio Pizarro's 15-minute hat-trick.
It was the fourth fastest treble in the
competition's history and added to early free kicks from Bastian
Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben to send the Bavarians in at half-time
with a five-goal lead.
Salomon Kalou replied with a fine individual goal after half-time, but substitute Toni Kroos steered in another for die Roten to kill off any optimistic hopes of a French fight-back.
Thomas
Muller had an opportunity to put the hosts ahead after three minutes
but goalkeeper Mickael Landreau held his nerve to save well, yet a foul
on Schweinsteiger in the immediate aftermath meant that les Dogues could not rest on their laurels.
And indeed they were made to pay when Schweinsteiger majestically swept in the dead ball from 20 yards.
Muller
again wasted a gilt-edged opportunity two minutes later when he blazed
well over the bar, before Nolan Roux sent a header over the crossbar
from Mathieu Debuchy's cross at the other end.
But Bayern soon put the game to bed when Pizarro exchanged a sharp one-two with Franck Ribery on the edge of the area and fired low into the bottom corner, before a Robben free kick deflected in off Florent Balmont.
Pizarro
got across his man to turn home Philipp Lahm's low cross to notch his
second at the near post after 28 minutes, and it was soon going to get
worse for the visitors.
After a five-minute period of brief respite for the Lille defence it was 5-0 when Pizarro nodded home another right-wing cross from Lahm to wrap up his 15-minute treble.
Robben
broke through on the counterattack and looked set to add the sixth
goal, but Landreau was equal to his delicate chip. Despite the threat of
that Bayern counter, Lille went forward again three minutes before the
break, but Roux's shot was deflected wide.
Moments later the
visitors were almost punished after committing too many men forward once
again. This time David Alaba won possession deep in his own half,
stormed forward, exchanged passes with Ribery and curled the ball just
wide of the far post.
Out of nowhere, Kalou burst past Javi Martinez and lashed a fierce strike in off the underside of the crossbar 13 minutes into the second half.
The disappointing Muller was withdrawn just after the hour mark and replaced by Kroos, who wasted no time in getting die Roten back to scoring ways.
Lahm
again burst into space in an advanced position down the right and cut
the ball back for the Germany international to slot the ball home from
the edge of the area.
Robben was gifted three superb
opportunities to add to the scoreline as the game drew to a close, but
each time he was thwarted. First his shot was blocked following a fine
Xherdan Shaqiri flick, before he was twice denied by the out-rushing
Landreau, who stood up well as the Dutchman bore down on goal.
Bayern's
performance was a signal of intent to the rest of Europe, who will no
doubt be wary of last season's beaten finalists on this showing. Lille,
on the other hand, showed exactly why they have been knocked out of the
competition without a point to their name.
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