Serge Gnabry struck a first-half brace and Robert Lewandowski also scored as a ruthless Bayern Munich taught Lyon a harsh lesson in their Champions League semi-final in Lisbon on Wednesday, winning 3-0 to set up a tantalising final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Lyon squandered two golden opportunities to go ahead early on at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, through Memphis Depay and Karl Toko-Ekambi.
Within seconds of the latter miss, Gnabry had blasted Bayern into an 18th-minute lead in stunning style, and the Germany winger scored again just after the half-hour mark.
Gnabry, who scored four times in Bayern’s 7-2 annihilation of Tottenham Hotspur in the group stage, has now scored nine in nine appearances in this season’s competition.
Lewandowski’s inevitable goal, his 55th of the season, came two minutes from time.
Bayern as a team have 42 goals in 10 Champions League outings, with this more modest victory following their 8-2 trouncing of Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
“We knew this would be a hard game,” insisted coach Hansi Flick. “We needed a bit of luck to get through the opening stages before Serge made the difference.”
They have won all their European matches this season but the biggest test awaits, against a PSG side who will be a step up from what they faced here.
Lyon came seventh in the last French season, which was shortened because of the coronavirus pandemic. PSG won Ligue 1 and crushed RB Leipzig 3-0 in their semi-final.
It promises to be an enthralling final, even in the bizarre atmosphere behind closed doors in Portugal’s capital.
