Robert Lewandowski stands alone atop the Bundesliga single-season scoring charts.
Lewandowski scored his 41st of the season in Bayern Munich’s season-ending 5-2 win vs. Augsburg, breaking a tie with German great Gerd Müller, who had held the record since 1971-72. Lewandowski pulled even with Müller in last week’s draw vs. Freiburg before 90th-minute goal on Saturday. The Polish international waited until the very last second to secure the record, pouncing on Leroy Sané’s saved shot and turning it in for the final play of the game.
*INSERT VIDEO EMBED OF GOAL(S)*
The record is just the latest accolade for Lewandowski, the reigning FIFA men’s world player of the year who played a vital role in Bayern’s sextuple and subsequent Bundesliga title, which is the club’s ninth in a row.
Lewandowski was on a scorching pace and looked destined to smash Müller’s record before suffering a knee injury on international duty with Poland in late March. He missed four Bundesliga games as a result, but he scored five goals in the first three matches upon his return—including a hat trick against Borussia Monchengladbach—prior to Saturday’s record-setting performance.
Lewandowski has now scored in 14 straight matches in all competitions for both club and country. He failed to score in only four of his league appearances this season, easily bettering his previous single-season league best, which was his tally of 34 goals last season. He had five hat tricks this season, including one as part of a four-goal performance vs. Hertha Berlin on Oct. 4. Bayern needed all four of them, as it came in a 4-3 victory.
Lewandowski still has a ways to go to catch Müller if he is to become the Bundesliga’s all-time leading scorer, period. Müller holds that mark with 365 goals (in 427 games). Lewandowski is second on the list with 276 goals (in 350 games).
More Soccer Coverage:
