VIDEO Bayern Munich 5-0 Viktoria Plzen: Highlights; Ribery Scores Twice As Bavarians Hammer Czech Champions

Bayern Munich produced a stunning attacking display to blow Czech champions Viktoria Plzen away, 5-0, at the Allianz Arena. Franck Ribery put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot midway through the opening period before David Alaba added a second before the break. But the dominance of Pep Guardiola’s side would not be reflected in the scoreline until the second half when they scored twice in three minutes just past the hour mark through Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Mario Gotze added a fifth in injury time in a match where Bayern peppered the Plzen goal with an incredible 35 shots, 18 of which were on target.

In their quest to become the first team to retain the European Cup in the Champions League era, Bayern have taken maximum points from three games and could seal a place in the knockout stage with a win when they travel to Plzen in two weeks’ time. If the evidence of this night was anything to go by, they will have little trouble.

Bayern had already threatened on several occasions before the opening goal arrived 25 minutes in. Arjen Robben went on a typical run cutting into the area from the right and defender Roman Hubnik brought him to the ground. Ribery stepped up and coolly dispatched his spot kick low into the corner. A second goal followed 12 minutes later. Alaba, coming forward from left-back, had too much space for the over-matched Plzen defense cutting into the center on the edge of the box and fired back across goal into the bottom corner on his right foot.

The third goal summed up Bayern’s dominance and quality. Ribery completely befuddled a defender by cutting back to go toward goal down the left of the area before finishing past the beleaguered Plzen goalkeeper Matus Koziak with an audacious flick of the outside of his right foot. Schweinsteiger soon added a fourth, taking Gotze’s cut back and turning onto his left foot before firing home. And Gotze himself completed the rout in the first minute of added time. Robben supplied an in-swinging cross and Gotze was able to take it down and move into the center of the area before shooting high into the net.