Published 11:31 IST, August 20th 2020
Lewandowski equals Ronaldo's milestone with his goal vs Lyon in the Champions League
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has now scored 15 goals in the Champions League equalling the record set by Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski continued his exceptional run of form with a header against Lyon in the semi-final of the Champions League. With the goal, the striker has registered a key record to his name, reaching a milestone that once saw Juventus ace Cristiano Ronaldo dominate the charts.
Lewandowski equals Cristiano Ronaldo's record
With the header in the closing minutes of the game, Lewandowski took his Champions League goal tally to 15 this season, while his overall season’s number now stands at 55 goals, the most by a player in Europe. Former Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo is the only player to have netted 15 or more goals in the Champions League on multiple occasions.
👀 Robert Lewandowski needs 2 more goals to equal Cristiano Ronaldo's single-season competition record...#UCL pic.twitter.com/SiLxqMxUIE
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 19, 2020
The Portuguese forward holds the record of having netted the most goals, 17, in a Champions League campaign, dating back to 2013-14. However, this doesn’t end here. Ronaldo also netted 16 and 15 goals in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons respectively. Lewandowski still has the opportunity to equal or overtake the 17-goal haul with the Bavarians set to play the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
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Cristiano Ronaldo nets in 11 consecutive games, Lewandowski short of 2
Lewandowski has also netted in nine consecutive Champions League outings. Only Ronaldo in 2018 (11) and former Manchester United star Ruud van Nistelrooy (9) in 2003 have netted in as many successive games. His Bundesliga stats are also impressive, with the Pole striker scoring 34 goals to guide Bayern Munich to the league title. However, he narrowly missed out on the European golden boot with Lazio’s Ciro Immobile netting 36 goals in the Serie A. He was also considered the top contender to clinch the Ballon d'Or ahead of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but the event was cancelled amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Lewandowski to face PSG on Sunday in the Champions League final
Besides Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry scored a brace to guide Bayern Munich to the UEFA Champions League final. Although Memphis Depay missed the opportunity to open the scoring for Lyon in the initial moments of the game, Gnabry struck from the edge of the box to bag the lead in the 18th minute. The German winger doubled the lead in the 33rd minute from a close-range finish, followed by Lewandowski’s header in the final minutes of the game. The Bavarians will now play PSG in the final of the Champions League on Sunday (Monday according to IST).
Image courtesy: Bayern Munich/ Cristiano Ronaldo Twitter
11:31 IST, August 20th 2020