With a 2-0 victory over Inter Milan on Tuesday, Benjamin Pavard and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting gave Bayern Munich a perfect record in the Champions League group stage.
The home team at the Allianz Arena was the more cohesive of two drastically altered squads because Bayern and Inter were already guaranteed to finish first and second in Group C, respectively.
After a competent start from Inter, Pavard connected with Joshua Kimmich's cross to give the hosts the lead, and Choupo-Moting added some shine with a spectacular long-range goal after the break.
As a result, Julian Nagelsmann's team has won all one of their six Champions League group games over the course of two seasons, finishing eight points ahead of Inter to establish their status as a leading contender for the European championship.
When Lautaro Martinez stretched to shoot over from just three yards out, Inter should have taken the lead. However, Sadio Mane controversially appeared to block Nicolo Barella's shot with both arms in the ninth minute, when they should have been awarded a penalty.
After 32 minutes, Bayern made up for Inter's error when Pavard evaded Martinez's attention and headed Kimmich's corner into the bottom-right corner.
As the halftime whistle blew, Andre Onana deflected Kingsley Coman's shot beyond, and the Nerazzurri were denied by the offside flag when Francesco Acerbi headed in a left-wing free-kick following the restart.
The second half saw Bayern take more control, but as they looked for a second goal, Mane hooked over from a good position.
With 18 minutes left, the hosts scored twice in spectacular fashion. Choupo-Moting was given room to turn before burying a right-footed shot into the top-left corner, ending any hopes of an Inter comeback.
WHY DOES THAT MATTER? BAYERN ACHIEVE ANOTHER MILESTONE.
Prior to this season, Bayern was considered one of the favorites to win the Champions League, but winning all six games in a group with Barcelona and Inter will only have increased other teams' hopes of avoiding them in the round of 16.
On Tuesday, Nagelsmann's team made Champions League history by becoming the first team to win all six group matches on consecutive seasons on three separate times (also 2019-20, when they won the competition).
LETHAL HOSTS SET RECORD FOR GOALS SCORED
In their six Group C games, Bayern scored 18 goals, and even though Robert Lewandowski decided to join Barcelona in July, they still possess the attacking ability to pose a threat to any team in Europe.
With Pavard's first goal, Bayern has now scored in 22 straight home Champions League games, breaking the previous club mark.
CHOUPO-MOTING PRODUCES THE DESIRED PERFORMANCE.
Few people anticipated Choupo-Moting would be one of the players to step up for Bayern after Lewandowski left for Camp Nou.
The 33-year-old has now scored in each of his previous five Champions League outings, demonstrating his ability to serve as a solid backup this season.
NEXT, WHAT?
On Saturday, Bayern will play their next Bundesliga game at Hertha Berlin, while on Sunday, Inter will travel to Juventus to play their Serie A Derby d'Italia adversaries.
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