How did Bayern Munich score in 66 consecutive games?
They are top of the Bundesliga, the division's highest goalscorers and have now netted in a record 66 consecutive Bundesliga games. How and when are Bayern most clinical? bundesliga.com analyses the key stats to find out…
Bayern scored for a 66th consecutive league game as Lewandowski hit the opener - and went on to grab a hat-trick - in Matchday 19's 4-0 win at Cologne, setting a new top-flight record in the process.
Overall, Bayern have bagged 202 goals on their 66-match scoring streak in the Bundesliga since February 2020 - striking at an average of three goals per game across the run that has surpassed their own 65-game league record that stood from April 2012 to April 2014.
Watch: Bayern set their new record in dominant win over Cologne
The last time the record champions failed to find the back of the net was their 0-0 draw with Leipzig on Matchday 22 of the 2019/20 season. The following week, Bayern chalked up 4-1 away win at Cologne, with Serge Gnabry netting a brace in that dominant victory, after Lewandowski got the ball rolling inside three minutes. Fittingly, Bayern would achieve the new Bundesliga record in the same stadium they started the run, with Lewandowski's breath-taking treble - that took him to 300 Bundesliga goals - as well as a super strike from Corentin Tolisso punishing the in-form Billy Goats.
In fact, Bayern's most favoured team to score against over this 23-month period was Cologne. The nine-in-a-row champions scored 18 times against the same opponents in five victories. Bayern also netted 15 times against Hoffenheim and scored 12 times in just two meetings against Schalke - with a whopping 8-0 victory at the Allianz Arena the pick of the bunch.
Watch: All 102 Bayern goals in 2021
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Bayern came closest to dropping the streak at the Mewa Arena on Matchday 31 last season. With Mainz leading 2-0 in the 94th minute, who else but Lewandowski to step up and score a consolation. A difficult result on the night, but a crucial strike to the record, upon reflection.
Lewandowski's 76 goals since the start of Bayern's scoring run is testament to his work ethic, tenacity and devastating ability in front of goal. Incredibly, the Poland captain only failed to get his name on the scoresheet in nine appearances during that time, with the 33-year-old missing through suspension or injury on a further eight occasions. As a result, Lewandowski scored in 49 of those 66 matches and his goals alone make up for 37.62 per cent of Bayern's 202 in total.
Gnabry (24) and Thomas Müller (19) round out the top-three scorers of the record spell, while the latter tops the charts when it comes to assists. Müller provided 48 of the 202 goals, meaning he has been involved in 33 per cent of Bayern's goals since the current stretch began.
With that trio of top marksmen all being right-footed, it's little wonder that 126 (62 per cent) of Bayern's 66-game haul were struck on a player's right compared to 50 (24 per cent) on their left and 25 (12 per cent) from their head. There were just five own goals, meaning Bayern needed little aid in finding the back of the net.
Lewandowski has converted 13 of Bayern's 14 penalties, with Müller - fairly obviously, at this stage - despatching the other, while there have been a further 11 goals as the result of corner kicks and seven more from free-kicks.
As for when Bayern have scored their goals, they have been most deadly in the first half of matches, with 107 efforts in the first 45 minutes of games, against 95 in the second period. It is the final 15 minutes of the first half that Bayern have found the most productive with 41 strikes in that period of time, while the Bavarians have struck 10 times - five from both halves - in stoppage time.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side have now shattered their own record in devastating fashion, setting the benchmark for a future generation to emulate. Will this current crop settle on 66 consecutive matches though? Or will we see a free-scoring team spurred on by their own success?
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