It’s typically mentioned {that a} image can paint a thousand phrases and Pep Guardiola’s expression of disbelief was a becoming response to occasions on the Allianz Enviornment.
Robert Lewandowski’s introduction from the bench had surprised these inside Bayern Munich’s state-of-the-art stadium, a ahead already on his option to greatness producing a spectacular present of ending.
Within the house of simply 9 minutes Lewandowski scored 5 targets, a ruthless demonstration of his goalscoring genius.
The Poland worldwide was named on the bench as Bayern hosted Wolfsburg in September 2015, having missed the earlier conflict with Darmstadt with an ankle subject.
The guests had gained the DFB-Pokal and completed as runners-up to Bayern within the Bundesliga the earlier season, earlier than beating the league champions within the German Tremendous Cup the earlier month.
Wolfsburg as soon as once more proved awkward opposition of their early-season assembly and took the lead although Daniel Caligiuri’s thumping effort, earlier than nearly including a spectacular second as Joshua Guilavogui’s 60-yard lob dropped simply huge.
Heading into the interval, Die Wölfe – unbeaten in 14 video games heading into the fixture – have been forward and seeking to proceed their momentum with an upset in Bavaria.
Together with his facet trailing at half-time, Guardiola turned to his bench. Javi Martinez got here on so as to add solidity in midfield, although the trump card was the introduction of Lewandowski.
The ahead had signed from Borussia Dortmund on a free switch the earlier season, scoring 25 targets throughout a debut marketing campaign that ended with a Bundesliga winners’ medal.
Seeking a aim to get his facet again into the sport, Lewandowski was a superb guess, however even Guardiola couldn’t have envisaged his record-breaking affect.
Inside six minutes, Bayern have been stage. Thomas Muller bundled his means into the realm and because the Wolfsburg defence desperately sought to make a problem, the free ball dropped invitingly to Lewandowski who had the only of duties to show dwelling.
Sixty seconds later Lewandowski had turned the sport round. Afforded house on the sting of the realm, his low end was pushed previous the despairing dive of Diego Benaglio.
Wolfsburg have been rattled and struggled to deal with the wave after wave of Bayern assaults. Lewandowski added a 3rd – sealing his hat-trick, the quickest in Bundesliga historical past in lower than 4 minutes – after firing dwelling on the third try from shut vary.
Lewandowski’s affect had surprised these in attendance, however an unforgettable present was solely really getting began.
His fourth was an excellent first-time effort, arriving to satisfy Douglas Costa’s cross in emphatic style. The Brazilian burst down the left earlier than centring from the byline and a late Lewandowski run ended with a managed side-footed end into the roof of Benaglio’s aim.
Wolfsburg had wilted underneath the champion’s strain and an atmospheric Allianz Enviornment rose as soon as once more to salute the the star of the present.
As Lewandowski and his teammates revelled in his fourth of the night, the cameras panned to the incredulous reactions of these inside the bottom. Guardiola clasped his palms to his head as he patrolled the touchline, whereas Arjen Robben – absent from the facet by damage – was pictured equally surprised.
Lewandowski had scored 4 targets in simply six minutes, the quickest four-goal haul the Bundesliga had witnessed and the primary time within the division’s historical past {that a} substitute had achieved the feat.
There was, nevertheless, extra to come back and the Lewandowski present saved its greatest act for final.
Bayern once more poured ahead in numbers, the pink shirts seeking to make extra distress for the wounded Wolves. Mario Gotze picked up possession in house on the proper touchline, earlier than arcing a cross in direction of the sting of the realm.
There in wait was Lewandowski who, confidence operating by his veins, produced an audacious second of intuition to seal his five-star displaying.
The ahead acrobatically met Gotze’s supply on the volley, the connection fierce and flawless because the ball thundered previous Benaglio. Having been launched with Bayern trailing on the inner, it was now 5-1 to the house facet with Lewandowski having scored every of their targets.
It had taken him simply 9 minutes.
“I nonetheless give it some thought quite a bit because it was such an unimaginable day. I nonetheless can’t clarify the way it all occurred,” Lewandowski later mirrored to fcbayern.com.
“It was an unimaginable 9 minutes and by no means earlier than have 5 targets been scored in such a brief house of time – and I don’t suppose it’s going to occur that shortly once more sooner or later.
“Through the sport, I didn’t spend a single second enthusiastic about what was taking place. I used to be simply targeted on scoring targets and I didn’t realise it was a complete of simply 9 minutes. It was like I used to be in one other world, in a trance.”
Dumbfounded and delighted in equal measure, Guardiola’s disbelief has since turn into a social media meme, the look of utter astonishment as he turned to the Bayern crowd a defining picture from Lewandowski’s iconic particular person efficiency.
“I’ve by no means skilled such a factor, both as coach or as a participant,” Guardiola mentioned within the aftermath of the sport, as per FourFourTwo.
“5 targets in 9 minutes. I’m very comfortable for Robert. You play poorly for 45 minutes after which seize 5 targets in 9 minutes. I can not clarify it.”
Lewandowski’s chic displaying noticed various divisional data go tumbling. By no means earlier than had a substitute scored 5 targets in a single sport, whereas his five-goal haul was the quickest recorded in one in every of Europe’s high 5 leagues for the reason that knowledge was first collected.
On this present day in 2015, Lewandowski broke 4 Guiness World Data for his 5 targets in 9 minutes in opposition to Wolfsburg 😱💪
– Highest Aim Scoring Substitute (5)
– Quickest Hat Trick (3 min 22 secs)
– Quickest Scorer of 4 targets (5 min 42 secs)
– Quickest Scorer of 5 targets (8 min 59 secs) pic.twitter.com/zEHZ1q4unh— COPA90 (@Copa90) September 22, 2018
Data for the quickest hat-trick, quickest 4 targets and quickest 5 targets in Bundesliga historical past all now belonged to Lewandowski, an announcement displaying from a ahead on his option to turning into the sport’s greatest quantity 9.
He ended the season because the league’s main scorer and has since gained the Torjägerkanone on a joint-record seven events, levelling the all-time landmark of Gerd Muller.
In a profession which has seen Lewandowski shatter goalscoring data in routine style, his one-man destruction of Wolfsburg stays one in every of his best hours.
Learn – Iconic Performances: Lewandowski’s four-goal destruction of Actual Madrid
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