On-fire Reds breeze past Fortuna

FC Bayern downed Fortuna Düsseldorf 5-0 on Saturday evening, consolidating their lead in the table. Fortuna's Zanka put through his own goal after a quarter-hour, Benjamin Pavard and Robert Lewandowski extending Bayern's lead in the first half. Lewandowski rounded off his brace after the restart, Alphonso Davies soon adding the final flourish.

The Bavarians started with Manuel Neuer in goal and Pavard, David Alaba, Lucas Hernández and Davies in a back four. Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich featured in a twin holding role behind Serge Gnabry, Thomas Müller and Kingsley Coman, with target man Lewandowski up front. Michaël Cuisance, Álvaro Odriozola, Ivan Perišić, Joshua Zirkzee and Oliver Batista-Meier took over from Hernández, Pavard, Coman, Müller and Gnabry in the second half.

Pavard shines

The two sides felt each other out at first, but Bayern soon upped the ante and drew first blood when Zanka unluckily put a Pavard shot through his own goal. It was one-way traffic now, with the Bavarians always a step quicker.

Müller drew a fine save from keeper Florian Kastenmeier, but Pavard soon found the net without any help, heading in after a corner. Gnabry fired over before Lewandowski crowned fine interplay, Müller inviting the Poland captain to power home.

Plain sailing

Bayern had plenty more salt to rub into the Rhineland side's wounds after the restart, Lewandowski dispatching a Gnabry pass with his heel before Alphonso Davies shone when he won the ball on the edge of the box, sidestepped three defenders and beat Kastenmeier.

Müller fired over from close range before Cuisance miscued a free-kick. Gnabry and Lewandowski saw efforts blocked as Bayern engaged cruise control, and match official Robert Hartmann put the visitors out of their misery.

The result takes Bayern onto 67 points from 29 matches, ten clear of Borussia Dortmund, who face Paderborn on Sunday. The Bavarians will be back in action next Saturday, when they travel to face Bayer Leverkusen.

Live match report for fcbayern.com by Greg Salmen