IT WAS GLORIOUS in its simplicity.
Devastating in its execution.
Robert Lewandowski won the header above Cesar Azpilicueta, directing it deftly towards teammate Serge Gnabry.
He then took one touch and returned the pass swiftly to the Polish talisman on the left wing.
Gnabry continued his run, Lewandowski played a perfectly-weighted through ball without flinching and the 24-year-old caressed his left-footed shot beyond Willy Cabalero.
Five touches were all that was needed.
Header. Touch. Pass. Pass. Goal.
Six seconds is all it took.
Six seconds from Lewandowski’s forehead to the the bottom far corner in front of the delirious Bayern fans.
Six seconds to end this Champions League last-16 tie as a contest ahead of the return leg in Munich next month, where Bayern hold a 3-0 lead and the visitors will be without Jorginho and Marcos Alonso due to suspension.
Lewandowski ❌ Gnabry.
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) February 25, 2020
Absolutely lethal!!! 🔥#CHEBAY #UCL #VMSport pic.twitter.com/2V1xGBUJyH
It was Gnabry’s second goal of the night – his sixth in the competition having netted four against Tottenham in London at the beginning of October.
It came barely three minutes after he tapped into an empty net when he and Lewandowski combined so brilliantly in the box.
A night of total domination was capped off with a quarter of an hour to go when Lewandowski was gifted a tap in of his own following a sublime solo run down the flank by left back Alphonso Davies.
The teenager showed determination to win a breaking ball and then gracefully evaded a lunging sliding tackle from Andreas Christensen to lay it on a plate for his grateful teammate.
It was game over, Chelsea having salt rubbed in their wounds when the influential Alonso took it upon himself to drag Lewandowski to the ground by his face.
It was the easy way out on a night when Frank Lampard would have been looking for the exit before Bayern were 2-0 up on the hour mark.
And yet it could have been so different.
It was Olivier Giroud’s Gazza moment.
Bayern had pummeled Chelsea for the first 34 minutes yet somehow hadn’t found the breakthrough.
Kingsley Coman sliced a shot wide in a good position from the inside right of the box early on. Lewandowski had an effort well blocked by Caballero while Thomas Muller, who is somehow only 30 years of age, flashed a fierce effort inches past the post from 20 yards.
Chelsea were barely able to get out of their own half yet, when they did, they almost made the visitors pay.
Almost.
Mason Mount wriggled free to find space on the left inside the box, his first-time ball fizzed across the face of goal invitingly but Giroud, all 6ft 4in of him, was a toe length away from prodding home.
It was reminiscent of a bleach blonde Paul Gascoigne coming so agonisingly close to a golden goal against Germany in the semi-final of Euro 96.
It was a rare ray of light – an indication they could create against a far superior side leading the German Bundesliga – on a night that has left Chelsea’s Champions Leagues hopes in tatters.
These were the sort of nights that Lampard the player thrived in. As a manager it was a first knockout game in Europe’s premier competition.
He has time on his side to at least prove this is a level he belongs on as a coach and manager.
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Outstanding buy for Villa.
@john howard: and outstanding loss for Arsenal
Wow
Extended highlights of the game show the atrocious tackles that got put in on Messi. Battled on with bloody ankles in fairness. The man is in some of the best form of his life. Like a fine wine.
Sadly I don’t see them beating Brazil and the Ronaldo sharade will still claim he’s better due to his international record and Euro win which is chronically over exagerrated. Has 40+ goals of his 100 and odd against teams not in the Fifa top 100 nations.
@Brian Timmons: delighted for Messi but why have a go at Ronaldo?
Anybody that understands anything about football can acknowledge that both players are genius’s and both deserve the many plaudits they’ve rightfully earned. It’s charade and not sharade by the way.
@Aidan Prior: I think to be fair, if Messi had played in England, people on this side of the world would recognise how far ahead of everyone he is.
I watch la liga religiously and seen a lot of both Ronaldo and Messi.
Messi by a country mile and that’s no disrespect to CR7.
The Colombians had 6 yellow cards in the game-all six fouls were on you know who. The man was battered last night, nasty looking ankle injury he picked up