Bayern Munich ran riot on Wednesday as Claudio Pizarro scored a hat-trick in only 15 minutes in a 6-1 hammering of hapless French side LOSC Lille Metropole in their Champions League group clash in Munich on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old Pizarro needed just a quarter of an hour in the first half to wrap up his treble as Bayern raced into a 5-0 lead after only 33 minutes as the French club suffered their worst away defeat in the Champions League.
“Right from the start, we put in a very good performance. It has been a long time since I have scored three goals, so I am very happy,” Pizarro said.
Photo: AFP
Despite the drubbing and after Valencia won 4-2 at home to BATE Borisov, Bayern are only second in the group behind the Spaniards, while Lille are definitely out having garnered not a single point.
“They scored with almost every attempt on goal,” Lille captain Rio Mavuba said. “We’re now out of the competition and it hurts. We fought last year to be here and to produce a performance that is not worthy of the club is really disappointing.”
Despite being only Bayern’s third-choice striker behind injured Germany star Mario Gomez and Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic, who was rested, Pizarro seized his chance, having also scored twice in Bayern’s German Cup win last week.
Pizarro’s triple was the third-fastest in Champions League history: The record still belongs to Blackburn Rovers’ Mike Newell, who scored three goals in nine minutes against Rosenborg in December 1995.
Since losing 1-0 at home to Bayern two weeks ago, Rudi Garcia’s Lille had won both their French league games, but were only on level terms with Bayern for five minutes.
Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger curled a free-kick around the near post to start the rout.
The lead doubled on 18 minutes when Pizarro took a return pass from France’s Franck Ribery on the edge of the area and fired home.
The third arrived on 23 minutes, when Arjen Robben’s free-kick crashed into Lille defender Florent Balmont and deflected into the goal, with Lille goalkeeper Mickael Landreau caught out.
With less than half an hour on the clock and the Lille defense waving Bayern’s attack through numerous holes, the fourth goal came as captain Philipp Lahm found space on the right wing and Pizarro converted his 28th-minute cross.
The Peru star wrapped up his hat-trick just five minutes later, when he met Lahm’s cross again, this time at the far post to make it 5-0.
Something had to change in the Lille ranks at the break and coach Rudi Garcia made two substitutions to bolster his defense.
Ex-Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou of the Ivory Coast pulled a goal back for Lille when he crashed his shot in off the bar on 57 minutes.
However, Bayern’s sixth came when substitute Toni Kroos smashed home Lahm’s pass on 66 minutes, 33 minutes after Munich’s previous goal.
Lille are not the only team to fall foul of Bayern’s Allianz Arena fortress this year after Basel were hammered 7-0 in March in a round-of-16 return leg, when Gomez scored four after Munich had lost the first leg in Switzerland.
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