Lewandowski joins CR7, Messi and Zlatan in decorated list with 500th goal against Schalke

Defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the league table following a scintillating victory against Schalke 04. Hansi Flick's men netted four goals past the Schalke defence, with Robert Lewandowski managing to get on the score sheet. In doing so, the Poland international has brought up his 500th senior career goal, becoming only the fourth active player on the planet to achieve the incredible milestone.

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Schalke vs Bayern: Lewandowski joins Messi, Ronaldo in decorated list

Despite the initial attacking wave, Bayern Munich could not bag the opener until Thomas Muller's header in the 33rd minute. The German midfielder received a brilliant cross from Joshua Kimmich to head it past Ralf Fahrmann. Lewandowski went on to double the lead for the Allianz Arena outfit in the second half. 

The Pole attacker latched on to a through-ball from Kimmich to strike it past Fahrmann despite finding himself in limited space. With the goal, Lewandowski took his tally to 500 strikes. Interestingly, he is only the fourth active player to reach the magnificent milestone. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are the other three active players to have struck 500 times or more in their respective careers. 

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Lewandowski stats: Pole's 272nd goal for Bayern vs Schalke 

Interestingly, Lewandowski has netted 272 goals for the defending European champions as he continues his splendid run of form in his seventh season with the Bavarians. In his previous stint with Borussia Dortmund, he racked up an impressive tally of 103 goals in 187 appearances over four seasons. 

The strike against Schalke also saw the FIFA Best Men's Player set another impressive record to his name. The 32-year-old has now become the only player in the history of Bundesliga to score in eight successive away games, bringing up 10 goals during this phenomenal run. 

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Bayern maintain magnificent lead in Bundesliga 

Despite the two-goal lead, Bayern did not let their guard down a bit. Muller and David Alaba netted once each in the final two minutes of the game to round off a scintillating display. Following the sensational victory, Bayern Munich extended their lead by seven points over second-placed RB Leipzig and will next play Hoffenheim on Sunday. 

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Image courtesy: Bayern Munich Twitter