Football news - Bayern Munich stride towards title with Fortuna Dusseldorf thrashing

This wasn’t the expected mismatch; it was much more one-sided than that. Bayern Munich thrashed Fortuna Dusseldorf to move 10 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and within strutting distance of their eighth consecutive Bundesliga title.

At one point it looked like Bayern might score 10. They were 5-0 up after 52 minutes and looked hungry for more, but then the raft of substitutions on both sides took some of the intensity out of the game.

Dusseldorf worked extremely hard defensively but could not cope with the speed and class of Bayern’s passing and movement. Nothing summed up their superiority better than the first of Robert Lewandowski’s goals, the result of a delicious team move that included brilliant disguised passes from Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Muller.

The full-backs Alphonso Davies and Benjamin Pavard were also on the scoresheet, with Zanka’s own goal having given Bayern the lead. It would have been a lot more than five but for a good performance from the Fortuna keeper Florian Kastenmeier.

Bayern need nine points from the last five games to clinch the title. Even the most pessimistic Bayern supporter will know it’s a formality.

This was supposed to be the season that Bayern’s long run of league titles came to an end. They were seventh in early December, but now they are romping to an eighth consecutive title. They will not have such a poor start again next season. And the really ominous thing for the rest of the league is that Bayern have quietly regenerated their team; only four of today’s starting line-up are over 25.

The award could have gone to six or seven Bayern players. But Muller had Fortuna defenders looking over their shoulder throughout the game and played a big part in the first and third goals. The latter was his 18th assist of a spectacular season.

Bayern Munich: Neuer 7; Pavard 8, Hernandez 7, Alaba 8, Davies 9; Kimmich 9, Goretzka 8; Gnabry 9, Muller 9, Coman 6; Lewandowski 9..… Subs: Cuisance 6, Perisic 6, Odriozola 6, Zirkzee 6, Batista Meier 6.

Fortuna Dusseldorf: Kastenmeier 7; Zimmermann 6, Zanka 5, Hoffmann 6, Giesselmann 6; Bodzek 6; Skrzybski 5, Morales 6, Stoger 5, Thommy 5; Karaman 6… Subs: Suttner 6, Zimmer 6, Berisha 7, Sobottka 6, Pledl 6.

15’ GOAL! Bayern 1-0 Fortuna Dusseldorf (Zanka own goal) It was a matter of time before Bayern took the lead. Thomas Muller clipped a fine crossfield ball to Gnabry on the right of the area. He volleyed it back towards Pavard, whose mishit shot was going wide until it hit Zanka and dribbled miserably into the net.

29’ GOAL! Bayern 2-0 Fortuna Dusseldorf (Pavard) Bayern score from the corner. Kimmich curled it out from the right, and Pavard's downward header bounced through the left hand of the diving Kastenmeier. Simple.

43’ GOAL! Bayern Munich 3-0 Fortuna Dusseldorf (Lewandowski) Robert Lewandowski scores against Fortuna Dusseldorf for the first time. It was a great team goal. Kimmich ran through on goal, dummied to shoot and backheeled the ball to Muller. He also shaped to shoot and then screwed the ball across to Lewandowski, who slid it into the empty net.

50’ GOAL! Bayern Munich 4-0 Fortuna Dusseldorf (Lewandowski) This lot are uttelry relentless. Gnabry screws a low cross towards Lewandowski, who flicks the ball neatly behind his standing leg and through the legs of Kastenmeier. That’s his 43rd goal of the season in only 37 games.

52’ GOAL! Bayern Munich 5-0 Fortuna Dusseldorf (Davies) This is brutal. Alphonso Davies wins the ball off Stoger on the edge of the area, bulldozes through the defence and slams the ball past Kastenmeier.

Robert Lewandowski scored his first goals against Fortuna Dusseldorf, completing a full set of Bundesliga clubs that he has scored against for either Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund.