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Leroy Sane opened and closed out the scoring for Bayern Munich against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League.
Leroy Sane opened and closed out the scoring for Bayern Munich against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League. - © imago
Leroy Sane opened and closed out the scoring for Bayern Munich against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League. - © imago
bundesliga

Leroy Sane orchestrates big Bayern Munich win over Benfica

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Leroy Sane scored twice as Bayern Munich maintained their perfect start in UEFA Champions League Group E with a comfortable 4-0 win at Benfica.

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Benfica 0-4 Bayern Munich
Goals: 0-1
Sane 70', 0-2 Everton o.g. 80', 0-3 Lewandowski 82' (assist: Sane), 0-4 Sane 84' (assist: Stanisic)

Bayern monopolised possession from the get-go at the Estadio da Luz, the scene of their 2019/20 Champions League final triumph over Paris Saint-Germain. Robert Lewandowski tested former VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos inside two minutes, before Sane clipped an effort wide. Lewandowski and the returning Kingsley Coman went close with a pair of headers either side of a sensational Manuel Neuer save to thwart Darwin Nunez against the run of play. Sane and Lewandowski ramped up the chance count, with the latter denied an opening goal for a VAR-confirmed handball.

Normal service resumed after the restart as Vlachodimos touched Benjamin Pavard's ferocious effort onto the woodwork. Thomas Müller had the ball in the back of the net soon after, only for VAR to intervene for an offside against Coman. Benfica took heart as Diogo Goncalves forced Neuer into another impressive save and Roman Yaremchuk shot wide, but their luck ran out in the 70th minute when Sane curled home an unstoppable free-kick. Coman fired off a pair of long-range attempts, before Everton put a Serge Gnabry cross through his own net for 2-0. Late Lewandowski and Sane goals added the gloss to Bayern’s third straight Champions League win.

Match stats

  • Lewandowski has scored five goals in three Champions League games in 2021/22. Only Ajax's former Eintracht Frankfurt striker Sebastien Haller has hit more (six).
  • Sane has scored six and assisted eight in 13 competitive appearances so far this term.
  • Nagelsmann’s side are the top scorers after three rounds of fixtures on 12 goals.
  • Neuer is yet to concede in this season's competition. He became the fourth Bayern player to reach 100 Champions League appearances.
  • Bayern are unbeaten in 11 UEFA matches against Benfica.
  • The record champions have not lost away in the Champions League in a tournament record 20 matches, dating back to a 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2017/18 groups (W16, D4).

Line-ups

Benfica: Vlachodimos - Verissimo, Otamendi, Vertonghen - Almeida (c) (Goncalves 40'), Weigl, Mario, Grimaldo - Silva, Yaremchuk (Everton 76'), Nunez
Unused subs: Leite, Gilberto, Meite, Pizzi, Radonjic, Taarabt, Paulo Bernardo, Goncalo Ramos, Morato, Ferro
Out: Lazaro (muscular), Seferovic (muscular)
Coach: Jorge Jesus

Bayern: Neuer (c) - Pavard (Gnabry 66'), Upamecano, Süle, Hernandez (Richards 86') - Kimmich, Sabitzer (Tolisso 86') - Coman (Musiala 86'), Müller (Stanisic 77'), Sane - Lewandowski
Unused subs:
Früchtl, Choupo-Moting, Sarr, Roca, Nianzou
Out:
Davies (thigh), Goretzka (cold), Ulreich (knee)
Coach: Julian Nagelsmann

As it happened!