The Champions League is a playground for the very best. Its unmistakeable anthem screams champion spirit. For Bayern - long considered one of European football's top sides - it's a home from home. There's just something about the competition that brings the best out of the Reds. The triumphant trip to Barcelona's acclaimed Camp Nou on 26 October attests to that.
Julian Nagelsmann's team ran out comfortable 3-0 winners to secure top spot in Group C, with a game to spare. It was a night to remember in more ways than one, as fcbayern.com explains...
Group-stage masters
The statistics speak volumes. A 12th successive group win and a 33rd group outing without defeat - both competition records. What's more, Bayern have topped their section for the fifth year in a row, and 17th all told. Only Barcelona have done so more often (18 times)
"We'll see what winning the group means when the draw's made," said Nagelsmann after the final whistle. "The win is a marker for us and the rest of the field."
Gnabry the provider
Serge Gnabry was among the standouts in a superb team performance, notable for its defensive grit. Bayern's unplayable No.7 picked the Barca lock at will, having a direct hand in all three goals. His laser-guided pass for Sadio Mané's opener is a shoo-in for the Matchday 5 best bits. He showed tremendous vision to find Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for 2-0, and it was his volley that Benjamin Pavard turned in following a corner routine straight off the training ground.
It marks the first time Gnabry has contributed to three goals in a single Champions League game. He's now Bayern's top provider in this season's competition, with three assists.
There's no stopping Choupo
Choupo-Moting delivered, too. Building on a string of superb displays in the Bundesliga and DFB Cup, the Cameroon striker scored Bayern's second goal in the 31st minute. For the first time in his career, he's found the back of the net in four competitive games on the spin.
"Another top performance, and maximum points," smiled Mr. Consistent-Moting, who has two goals to show for his efforts in Europe so far this term.
Mané ice-cold in Barca cauldron
Bayern fans are used to singing "one shot, one goal, that's Bayern." In the first half, the lyric could have been changed to "two shots, two goals", such was the tireless record champions' efficiency in front of goal.
Before Choupo-Moting made it 2-0, Mane sent the thermometer plummeting with an ice-cold chipped finish to give Bayern the lead. In doing so, the Senegal international took his season tally to a team-leading 10 competitive goals - as many as Leroy Sané. It was his third strike in his last three Champions League outings. He's also produced an assist in that time.
With 15 points, 16 goals scored and two conceded, Bayern are once again among Europe's very best. Nagelsmann's troupe have five more fixtures before the World Cup break to extend their purple patch, and give themselves every shot of being the crème de la crème on all three fronts in spring 2023.
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