When Bayern Munich took the field Sept. 22 for a midweek match with Wolfsburg, they did so without Robert Lewandowski, who started the game on the bench. He came on at half-time with Bayern trailing 1-0 and scored within six minutes of entering the match. He then added another four goals, scoring five overall in nine minutes, and has not stopped scoring since...
Prolific Run
Lewandowski's five goals in that game against Wolfsburg were the most ever in a single Bundesliga match by a substitute and one shy of tying the league record for most ever in a single match. He also collected a hat trick in just four minutes, the fastest hat trick in league history. Including that effort against Wolfsburg, the forward has scored in six straight matches for Bayern Munich and Poland, recording 15 goals in that stretch.
For comparison's sake, the best six-game stretch of Cristiano Ronaldo's career for club and country saw him produce 13 goals (done twice). The best six-game stretch of Lionel Messi's career was 16 goals, which he did in 2012, the season he scored 50 goals for Barcelona in La Liga alone.
Lewandowski scored three more goals during Euro 2016 Qualifying for Poland as part of this three-game stretch, equaling David Healy's record of 13 goals for Northern Ireland during a single Euro qualifying campaign, set in 2008. Lewandowski scored in each of Poland's last five qualifying matches and now has 32 goals all time for Poland, tied for fifth-most in team history.
How's he doing this?
Lewandowski has averaged a goal every 33 minutes during the last six matches and has scored 68 percent of his team's goals in that stretch (15 of 22). Where are his goals coming from? Ten of his 15 goals during this run have come from 11 yards and in and his average shot distance on all of his goals is 11.3 yards. For comparison, the average shot distance on goals in Europe's top five leagues this season is 12.9 yards, over 1.5 yards longer than Lewandowski's average goal.
Lewandowski hasn't wasted his time with long shots during this stretch, either. Twenty-six of the 33 shots he's taken for club and country since Sept. 22 have come from inside the penalty area. That discipline has helped him have a 75 percent shot conversion rate during this stretch, with 15 goals from his 20 shots on target.
He's also done an excellent job getting into scoring positions, with 49 touches in the attacking penalty area over the last six games. He's scored 14 goals on these 49 touches, meaning every 3.5 times he's touched the ball in the penalty area, he's placed a ball in the back of the net.
What's next
Next up for Bayern Munich this weekend is Werder Bremen in an away match on Saturday. The opponents are no stranger to Lewandowski goals, as he's scored in four of his last five matches against the club dating back to January 2013, when he was with Dortmund.
After that, it's a trip to London to face Arsenal at the Emirates in a crucial Champions League group stage match for the Gunners. Lewandowski has history there, too, scoring an 82nd-minute game winner for Dortmund on matchday three in the 2013-14 Champions League group stage. The club would go on to win its group that season.