On-fire Bayern maintained their 100 percent record in this season’s Champions League and tightened their grip on top spot in Group E with a scintillating 7-1 victory over Italian giants AS Roma on Tuesday night, the Bavarians’ biggest away win in Europe’s elite club competition. It means FCB have started the group phase with three straight victories for the sixth time on the bounce and, in the light of Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with CSKA Moscow earlier in the evening, are now well on their way to a berth in the last sixteen.
The venerable Stadio Olimpico played host to a 62,292 capacity crowd, the Serie A team’s first full house at home in more than a decade, but the Tifosi saw Arjen Robben, Mario Götze, Robert Lewandowski and Robben again blast the Bundesliga leaders into an unassailable four-goal lead after just half an hour, with Müller also completing a brace from the penalty spot before half-time.
The home side were all over the place in the first period but staged a spirited revival after the restart and pulled one back on 66 minutes through Côte d’Ivoire hitman Gervinho, only for FCB subs Franck Ribery and Xherdan Shaqiri to pile on the misery with late goals to seal the rout
The thumping victory means FCB move onto the maximum nine points in the section, five ahead of Roma and a full seven clear of third-placed City. The German double winners return to action in the top-of-the-table Bundesliga trip to Gladbach on Sunday, before the DFB Cup tie away to Hamburg the following Wednesday.
Rome reunion for Medhi
Guardiola made three changes to the team from the 6-0 demolition of Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga at the weekend, with Juan Bernat, Robert Lewandowski and Medhi Benatia, who only left Roma for FCB in August, coming in for Rafinha, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Dante.
The Group E leaders lined up with Manuel Neuer in goal, David Alaba, Jerome Boateng and Benatia at the back, Xabi Alonso and captain Philipp Lahm in twin holding roles, Bernat and Robben out wide, and Müller and Götze in behind centre-forward Lewandowski.
Whirlwind first half
The sides set off at a brisk pace after Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson whistled the match underway on a warm evening in the Italian capital and Neuer made an excellent save from Gervinho on ten minutes, but Robben had already put his side ahead a minute earlier with a trademark dart inside Ashley Cole and curled left-foot finish.
Lewandowski saw one shot saved by Roma keeper Morgan De Sanctis and scooped another over the bar but the ragged home side’s resistance became increasingly token and Guardiola’s men rattled in the goals at regular intervals after the midpoint of the half. Götze made it two after 23 minutes with a side-footed finish from Müller’s cunning backheel, before Alonso picked out Bernat two minutes later and the unmarked Lewandowski powered home a header from the Spaniard’s pinpoint cross.
The game was still only half an hour old when Robben made it four after latching onto a fine Lewandowski pass inside the out-of-sorts Cole and lashing home past the bewildered De Sanctis. The home side’s first-half torture was still not over, Kostas Manolas blatantly handling an Alaba lay-off in the box and Müller coolly converting the ensuing penalty. Lewandowski shot over the bar and Alonso fired straight at De Sanctis as FCB ended a truly one-sided half on the front foot.
FCB wrap it up
Totti had had enough and gave way to young Alessandro Florenzi for the second 45 minutes, with the young sub adding a dash of pace against a Munich side now keen to slow the pace and bring home the points. The Italians showed their true colours for the first time in the match, partly by mixing it and earning a couple of yellows from Mr Eriksson, and partly with a trio of presentable chances. Gervinho battered a drive against the post, before Nueuer beat out Florenzi’s shot and then made an extraordinary stop from Gervinho’s point-blank range effort.
Rafinha replaced Müller on the hour but Roma were not to be denied for ever and the muscular Gervinho crashed home a header on 66 minutes from Radja Nainggolan’s cross. Ribery took over from Lewandowski two minutes later and, after a spell to settle in, latched onto Robben’s defence-splitting pass and delicately chipped home the sixth on 78 minutes. Shaqiri then replaced Götze and emulated his fellow substitute by adding his name to the scoresheet with a decisive response to De Sanctis spilling a Rafinha drive. There was still time for Ribery to volley against the outside of the post before Mr Eriksson put an end to Roma’s misery and confirmed the massive victory with the final whistle.
Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley
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