Bayern goal spree sends Aris crashing

A rampant Luca Toni ensured FC Bayern München reached the last 32 of the UEFA Cup as Group F winners as they demolished Aris Thessaloniki FC 6-0.

Aris miss out
Toni grabbed two goals in each half before strikes from Christian Lell and Philipp Lahm completed this resounding victory against opponents who had gone into the game unbeaten in the group stage. With this defeat, however, Aris missed out on further progress in the competition – the Greek club finishing on five points, one shy of both SC Braga and Bolton Wanderers FC, while Bayern topped the section with eight.

Bright start
Bayern were on the front foot from the off and barely a minute was on the clock when Lahm forced Aris keeper Konstantinos Chalkias to turn his shot around the post. Chalkias then produced a splendid stop to deny Miroslav Klose before Aris threatened at the other end on 12 minutes, Vladimir Ivić letting fly a shot which Oliver Kahn did well to keep out with his feet. In the main, though, it was Bayern providing the attacking football and after Franck Ribéry had fired wide, Toni finally broke the deadlock after 25 minutes.

Ribéry threat
Ribéry created the goal with a cross from the left, which the Italy forward converted with a low, close-range strike. France playmaker Ribéry was a dangerous presence throughout and he curled a free-kick wide, before again supplying the delivery for the deadly Toni to net his second from six metres. Bayern kept coming forward, Klose heading over from another Ribéry centre before the Frenchman brought a save out of Chalkias.

Dominant showing
Bayern began the second half in similar fashion yet it was not until the 64th minute that Toni secured his hat-trick, this time from Lahm's ball into the box. Two minutes later it was four as Zé Roberto played in Toni to finish left-footed from the left side of the six-metre area. Second-half substitute Lukas Podolski then set up late goals for Lell and Lahm to cap a dominant showing from the Bundesliga leaders.