Robert Lewandowski scored for the 18th competitive club game in a row as Bayern Munich opened their 2021/22 UEFA Champions League campaign with a surpremely polished win in Barcelona.

Barcelona 0-3 Bayern Munich
Goals: 0-1 Müller (34'), 0-2 Lewandowski (56'), 0-3 Lewandowski (85')

Bayern went into their Group E opener fresh off a demonstrative 4-1 win at RB Leipzig. The confidence continued to flow at Camp Nou as Leroy Sane sent a free-kick into the wall, before Leon Goretzka curled a deflected strike at Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Gerard Pique put in a goal-saving challenge to deny Jamal Musiala, but the Barca captain was only delaying the inevitable. After Ronald Araujo sent a header comfortably over Manuel Neuer’s goal with a rare moment of Barca promise, the record champions forged ahead. Thomas Müller took aim from 18 yards following a wonderful one-touch team move, with the ball landing in the back of the net via a deflection off Eric Garcia.

Bayern proceeded to keep Barca at arm’s length in the second half, whilst asking serious questions of the opposition defence. Sane was denied a fabulous solo goal by ter Stegen’s outstretched right foot, before Lewandowski gave Julian Nagelsmann’s dominant ensemble daylight. The Pole applied a routine finish into the empty net after Musiala had rattled the woodwork from range, to extend his record of scoring in every competitive game so far in 2021/22. Lewandowski added his second following another effort against the post - this time from substitute Serge Gnabry - as Bayern put down a serious marker for the European season ahead.

Match stats

• Bayern have scored at least once in a European record 77 consecutive competitive fixtures.
• Lewandowski won the European Golden Shoe last season with 41 goals. He has scored seven goals in his last five Champions League appearances.
• Müller's now level with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on 217 Bayern goals, behind only Lewandowski (304) and Gerd Müller (523).
• Musiala made his 45th competitive appearance for the Bayern first team.
• In Alphonso Davies and Josip Stanisic, two of Bayern's most-used back four this season are still eligible for U21 football. A third, Dayot Upamecano, is still only 22.
• Ter Stegen - Manuel Neuer's understudy for Germany - kept 36 clean sheets in 108 Bundesliga appearances with Borussia Mönchengladbach before moving to Spain in 2014.

Line-ups

Barcelona: ter Stegen - Ronald Araujo, Garcia (Mingueza 66'), Pique - Roberto (Demir 59'), F. de Jong, Busquets (c) (Gavi 59'), Pedri, Alba (Balde 74') - L. De Jong (Coutinho 66'), Memphis
Unused subs: Neto, Inaki, Dest, Puig, Lenglet, Umtiti, Gonzalez
Out: Aguero (calf), Braithwaite (knee), Dembele (hamstring), Fati (knee), Wague (knee)
Coach: Ronald Koeman
 
Bayern: Neuer (c) - Pavard (Hernandez 66'), Upamecano, Süle (Stanisic 82'), Davies - Kimmich, Goretzka - Sane (Coman 82'), Müller (Sabitzer 82'), Musiala (Gnabry 70') - Lewandowski
Unused subs: Ulreich, O. Richards, Choupo-Moting, Cuisance, Sarr, Roca, Nianzou
Out: Früchtl (collarbone), Tolisso (calf)
Coach: Julian Nagelsmann

As it happened!

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