Lewandowski hat-trick within 23 min - earliest treble ever scored in UCL history

Robert Lewandowski bagged the earliest hat-trick in Champions League history to help Bayern Munich blow RB Salzburg out of the water on Tuesday night.

Bayern are cruising past Salzburg in the second leg of their last-16 clash following a 1-1 draw between the two sides in last month's opener.

It was Lewandowski who put them out of sight within 23 minutes of the Munich decider, which goes down as the earliest hat-trick the competition has ever seen.

His first two strikes on the night came from the penalty spot; opening the scoring inside the 12th minute after Maximilian Wober brought him down inside the box, before doubling their lead nine minutes later when the Salzburg defender felled him once more.

And merely 11 minutes after his opener, Lewandowski sealed the earliest ever Champions League hat-trick when a loose ball bounced off the post and allowed him to tap into an empty net.

The Poland international's three goals came just a minute earlier than previous record-holder Marco Simone, who achieved the feat in 24 minutes of AC Milan's 2-1 defeat against Rosenborg back in 1996.

Tuesday's hat-trick was the latest high point of another breathtaking season for Lewandowski, taking his overall tally to a staggering 42 goals in 35 appearances.

He was not the only Bayern man to find the back of the net against Salzburg, nevertheless, as Serge Gnabry added a fourth for the hosts in the 31st minute.

Kingsley Coman collected the ball and picked out Gnabry, who bundled the ball home at the far post to make it 4-0.

And nine minutes into the second, Thomas Muller got in on the act by rifling past Philipp Kohn from inside the box.

Maurits Kjaergaard pulled one back for Salzburg with 20 minutes remaining, but Bayern's first-half demolition job ensures it will be nothing but a consolation.