Brilliant, effective, merciless: FC Bayern Munich stormed back to the top of the table with a show of power and set more than an exclamation mark for the Bundesliga competition on the way to the tenth championship title in a row.
With five goals within 34 minutes before the break, the football professionals of coach Julian Nagelsmann paved the 5: 1 (5: 0) victory in the top game against the previously highly acclaimed youngsters from Bayer Leverkusen around young star Florian Wirtz.
After just over 180 seconds, Bayern's offensive machinery picked up speed. Robert Lewandowski, still without a goal in Bayern's first defeat of the season against Eintracht Frankfurt (1: 2), scored with a hoe (4th minute) and made the preliminary decision with his second goal (30th). Thomas Müller (34th) and Serge Gnabry twice (35th / 37th) met almost every minute. Patrik Schick (55th) caused some Leverkusen jubilation with his goal shortly after the change.
Nagelsmann gave the starting line-up, who came up in the first defeat of the season against Eintracht Frankfurt (1: 2) before the international break, the chance to make amends. Lucas Hernández was also in the booth. He faces a prison sentence in Spain for disregarding a court ruling. On Tuesday - the day before the Champions League game in Lisbon - the 25-year-old Frenchman has to appear before a criminal court in Madrid. As of now, Hernández has to face a six-month prison sentence in the following days.
“Of course we dealt with the situation, but here, too, you have to understand that this is a private matter for Lucas.
In addition, it is about legal proceedings, and I think there is also a great understanding that we will not express ourselves in the context of these proceedings, ”said Munich's CEO Oliver Kahn in the DAZN interview.
Both teams are now facing tough times with six games in the next 20 and 21 days respectively.
FC Bayern are strengthened in the Champions League game at Benfica Lisbon and then in the home game against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday.
Leverkusen are facing tough tasks in the Europa League on Thursday at Betis Sevilla and on Sunday at Rhenish rivals 1. FC Köln.
For Bayern it was the 16th Bundesliga game without a defeat in which the first played against the second (12 wins, 4 draws). Both teams went into the 8th matchday with 16 points at eye level, a class difference was revealed on the field. Bayern were already pressing in the Leverkusen penalty area, the Bayer kickers had hardly any air to breathe. Lewandowski took the lead after Joshua Kimmich's free kick and Dayot Upamecano's direct lay-off and increased dry after a solo in the penalty area by Alphonso Davies.
Only then did the humiliation really take its course.
Müller falsified a shot from Niklas Süle after a corner to make it 3-0, Gnabry after Müller submission and after a one-two with Leon Goretzka completed the humiliation for Leverkusen.
“There are no words for it.
You sit upstairs and hope that it doesn't get worse, ”said former Bayer goal scorer Stefan Kießling, now assistant to sports director Rudi Völler.
At least, after the break, Schick managed to make some cosmetics, Bayern could have made one or the other goal more.
But the many changes also disrupted the flow of the game.
The Munich talent Jamal Musiala came in the 64th minute, Wirtz left the field with sagging shoulders in the 79th minute on Bayer's side.