Robert Lewandowski hailed a year to remember as his two goals helped Bayern Munich come from behind to beat Bayer Leverkusen and go top of the Bundesliga on Saturday, capping a fantastic 12 months for him and his team.
Lewandowski’s injury-time winner completed another comeback victory for Bayern, ensuring the champions sit top of the standings, ahead of Leverkusen, going into the Christmas break.
That 93rd-minute goal took the Pole’s tally this calendar year to 32 just two days after becoming the first Bundesliga player to be crowned the world’s best at the FIFA Best Awards.
“What a year we have had,” Lewandowski told Sky Sport after Bayern’s win.
“We always want more. And I hope that next year we will keep scoring goals like this to win matches in this way.”
The win at Leverkusen was the champions’ final match of a remarkable 2020, in which they won five trophies including the Champions League, finishing the calendar year having tasted just one loss in all competitions.
Bayern did fall behind for the seventh successive Bundesliga match, but in each of those seven games they have not lost.
“We know we suffer from these attention deficits at the start of games,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick told DW.
“But now we finally have a short break and it’s something we want to improve. This was the ending that we all wished for, rounding off a fantastic year for the team.”
Lewandowski’s goals ended Leverkusen’s unbeaten start to this Bundesliga season and their coach Peter Bosz felt the defeat was unjust, having seen his side take the lead through Patrik Schick’s fine volley.
“The result is undeserved and disappointing,” Bosz said.
“Nevertheless, today the team showed that we can keep up with the best team in Europe. That has to give us confidence.” (Reuters)
