September 24 – Social media sites are still buzzing with the sheer incredulity of it all. Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski was already regarded as one of Europe’s most dangerous strikers but even he could not have anticipated what would happen when he stepped off the bench at half-time against Wolfsburg on Tuesday.
To score a hattrick would have been a remarkable achievement in its own right. To score five goals in nine minutes ripped up the record books.
First, the Pole scored the quickest ever Bundesliga hat-trick (four minutes). Then he set a new record for four goals in the same match. And did likewise for five on the hour with a brilliant acrobatic volley.
He also notched up the fastest five-goal haul in a major European league since Opta started recording stats and was one short of Dieter Muller’s Bundesliga record of six goals in a game, when Cologne beat Werder Bremen 7-2 in 1977.
Wolfsburg were aiming for a fifth consecutive clean sheet and a 15th game without defeat – which would have equalled their record – and actually took the lead.
“It was just crazy,” said Lewandowski. “It’s just unbelievable.” Coach
Pep Guardiola added: “This is something I have never experienced before. Robert has been a great player in Germany and the world for some time now.”
As for Wolfsburg, coach Dieter Hecking tried to take it in his stride. “What can I say? A world-class striker shot five times on goal and could have scored seven.”
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