Lethal Lewan fuelling Bayern charge
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Robert Lewandowski celebrates beside teammate Franck Ribery after scoring Bayern Munich's third goal in its 6-0 Bundesliga victory over Augsburg at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on Saturday. Lewandowski finished the game with a hat-trick to move joint-top of the league's scoring chart. [Photo by Matthias Schrader/AP] |
BERLIN - Robert Lewandowski shot to the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts with a hat-trick on Saturday as Bayern Munich's Polish ace continued his hot streak for club and country.
It was the 28-year-old's fourth Bayern treble this season as the Bavarians battered Augsburg 6-0.
The striker also produced a fine all-round performance, creating goals for Thomas Mueller and Thiago Alcantara.
"He scored three goals and set up two more, what more can I say about him?" beamed Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti after the Augsburg rout.
"I am happy to have a striker like that who scores in more or less every game."
Lewandowski has netted eight times in five games for Poland this season, on top of his 36 goals for Bayern in all competitions.
Saturday's haul came after he also scored for his country in last Sunday's 2-1 win over Montenegro to leave Poland six points clear in its World Cup qualifying group.
Lewandowski was last season's Bundesliga top scorer and is now level on 24 goals with Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in his bid to retain the crown.
The lean, mean scoring machine, nicknamed "The Body" at Bayern, has developed into one of the world's top finishers.
His toned physique comes from a strict diet and his pregnant wife Anna - a former karate international for Poland - is a personal trainer.
"He is the most professional player I have ever met," enthused Pep Guardiola, Ancelotti's predecessor at Bayern.
"In his head, he thinks about the right food, sleep and training - 24 hours a day.
"He is always there, never injured, because he focuses on these things. He always knows what is important to be in the best condition."
There was always a top athlete lurking in Lewandowski's DNA.
His father, Krystof, was a Polish judo champion, who also played soccer in the country's second division, while his mother, Iwona, was a professional volleyball player.
Lewandowski's career took off when he finished top scorer in the third and then second divisions at Warsaw-based Znicz Pruszkow, who won back-to-back promotions in 2007 and 2008.
A move to Lech Poznan followed, and he hit 18 goals to help it win the 2009-10 Polish top-flight title in his second season.
