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Bayern Munich illustrated why they have been unstoppable, irresistible and at times, unplayable, with a well-earned 3-0 victory over Olympique Lyon in the all-important Champions League semi-final.
A first-half brace from Serge Gnabry, after a period of promising football from the underdogs, set the tone and eventually proved to be the difference between the two teams. The game was all but finished, only for Robert Lewandowski to further rub salt into Lyon's wounds with a late goal.
The Bavarians stuck to their strengths and broke the opposition down, while Lyon only had themselves to blame for not capping off clear-cut chances.
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Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, therefore, are now set to go toe-to-toe in an epic Champions League finale on August 23.
On that note, we break down the major talking points from Bayern Munich's all-round win against OL Lyon.
#1 Lyon's approach proves a different challenge for Bayern early on
Surprisingly, it was not Bayern doing all the talking in the opening exchanges of the game.
Lyon set up with a preferred 3-5-2 that transformed into a 5-2-3 without the ball. While the five-man backline remained in close quarters with the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, the three men in front carried out the pressing, running and covered the channels.
It was not just the defending that kept Lyon in the game early on but also the quick transition when they turned over possession. Rudi Garcia's men circulated the ball around well and played in through balls earlier on.
Memphis Depay was a beneficiary of similar passages of play, as whenever one of the central midfielders took claim of the ball, they passed it straight on to the path of the runner. The former Manchester United forward got through on goal, rounded Manuel Neuer but failed to find the back of the net.
It happened twice more in the first-half, with Bayern's high backline looking susceptible to the ball played in behind.
#2 Quality stands out as Gnabry scores twice
Lyon pushed Bayern Munich on the back foot early on, and were extremely unlucky not to have gone in front or scored more than once within the first half-hour.
Toko Ekambi came closest to handing his side an unlikely yet vital lead, spinning off the challenge of Alphonso Davies and launching a grounded shot from close range, only to be denied by the woodwork.
And when you don't score against a side that has won 27 of its previous 28 matches in all competitions, you get punished.
Serge Gnabry, against the run of play, produced a moment of magic after he was found with a neat lob. He drifted infield, wriggled through the Lyon shirts and maintained his balance despite a couple of challenges against him.
On his left foot, the blistering winger let fly an outrageous strike leaving Anthony Lopes with no chance. Gnabry went on to add another, this time a much more straightforward tap-in following some great work from Ivan Perisic down the left.
#3 Lyon's missed chances cost them dearly
As demonstrated by Gnabry's stellar strike, there is no substitute for quality in the Champions League.
While Bayern grew into the game with the opening goal and doubled their lead through the same scorer, Lyon must've been kicking themselves at half-time for not having been the first team to score.
Depay's chance early on in the game went begging, whereas Maxwell Cornet, when in space inside the box, struggled to fine-tune his final ball on a couple of occasions.
Ekambi should have scored as well, and these missed opportunities stung Lyon when Gnabry netted only moments later. The two goals not only took the game away from the French giants, but also allowed Bayern Munich to grow into the fixture and keep the ball for a little longer.
Lyon had a chance off a corner through Depay's header, and another where Ekambi missed a one versus one against Neuer after Niklas Sule's clearance rebounded kindly to Cornet.
Given that they significantly had lesser portions of possession and chances, Lyon really should have taken the game to the opposition with early goals.
#4 Thiago-Goretzka pairing takes control as Bayern sail through
While there were a fair share of chances for either side in the second half that made the game more end-to-end, the brilliant partnership of Thiago Alcantara and Leon Goretzka enabled Bayern to hold on to the lead.
Firstly, it's essential to speak of the fluidity they add to the attack. Both of them operated close to each other, and while one sprayed passes from deep, the other stood in between the lines and facilitated play.
Their collective involvement with and without the ball is what makes the German champions one of the most hard-working and dominant teams in Europe.
They were truly brilliant with the ball, but it was the rate and success of recovery that frustrated Lyon. Thiago's aggressive pressing, ability to draw fouls and keep hold of the ball was only complemented by Goretzka's challenges and physicality.
Together, they plotted a masterclass in the middle.
#5 Hansi Flick's in-game management was stupendous
28 wins out of their last 29 matches, another commanding UCL knockout victory and a real sense of belief is what Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich are all about.
They have been simply relentless since the turn of the year, but that's not all. Tearing opposition defences apart is not everything they do.
The shift in tactics, coupled with the dynamism with which they win games is frightening, to say the least. One could say Bayern Munich had to do a lot of last-ditch defending in this game, but they took their chances as they came.
Not to mention, they controlled the ball for the best part of the game as highlighted by their possession statistic (65%), and then sat deep later on when Lyon tried to wrestle their way back into the contest.
That allowed the defenders to stick to their positions, remain protected by the midfield and see the game out with a clean sheet.
After soaking in the pressure and inviting Garcia's troops to carve through, Bayern Munich themselves turned comfortable into comprehensive with a complimentary goal for Robert Lewandowski. He has now scored an astonishing 55 goals this campaign.
