Tottenham 2-7 Bayern Munich: Serge Gnabry scores four to guide Germans to North London rout

Bayern Munich are coasting to the top spot in Group B.

The Germans were way too strong for Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night as they romped to a 7-2 victory in North London. It was a close game in the first half, but the Bundesliga leaders completely flattened Mauricio Pochettino’s team in the second half.

It got really, really ugly.

Pochettino made only one change from the team that held on to beat Southampton 2-1 at the weekend. Dele Alli came in for Christian Eriksen, while Serge Aurier was selected again after his red card in the league. It was a strong team for a strong opponent.

It was Bayern who had the first shot of the game. Kingsley Coman broke in on goal and stung the palms of Hugo Lloris.

Son Heung-Min used to play Munich quite a bit when he was still in the Bundesliga. He almost opened the scoring when Tanguy Ndombele found him with a through ball, but Manuel Neuer came out quickly to save.

A few minutes later, the South Korean did open the scoring. Again it was Ndombele who played him through, but this time Neuer’s fingertips couldn’t stop Sonny’s driven shot from finding the far corner.

Unfortunately, Tottenham’s advantage didn’t last long. Bayern equalized through Joshua Kimmich. There was really nothing Spurs could do, as the right back unleashed a stunning curling effort from about 30-yards out.

It was already a watchable game, but things then became increasingly more hectic. Tottenham responded well to the equalizer, partially because the Lilywhites’ press looked better than it had all season.

Ndombele came close to restoring the home side’s lead. Aurier found him with a low cross, but the Frenchman’s shot was tipped away by Neuer.

Spurs seemed to tire as the half neared its end. They became increasingly encamped in their own end, and the Bundesliga leaders made them pay just before the break.

Corentin Tolisso was down on the pitch crying for a penalty, and in the confusion Tottenham were unable to clear their lines. Robert Lewandowski picked up the loose ball and turned to fire one past Lloris.

It was a cruel end to the opening frame for Pochettino’s side.

The next half was even crueler.

After a half-chance for Dele, former Arsenal man Serge Gnabry scored two goals in two minutes. The pacey German victimized Aurier on the first goal, and took advantage of a bad giveaway from Harry Winks on the second goal.

Tuesday night wasn’t a good one for Winks. The midfielder struggled heavily, as he has on a few occasions this season.

Spurs were handed a bit of a respite in the 60th minute when Danny Rose earned a penalty. Coman had clipped him as he entered the box. Harry Kane stepped up to the spot and did the rest.

Bayern had their open appeals for a penalty denied a few minutes later. After a brief VAR review, the referee’s call was confirmed as Coman was deemed to have dived as he tried to get revenge on Rose for the previous spot-kick.

Christian Eriksen and Lucas Moura, last year’s Champions League hero, were thrown on late by Pochettino in an attempt to get back into the game.

Instead, things completely fell apart.

The Germans were almost as ruthless as their compatriots were on that night in Brazil at the World Cup. They scored three goals in the last ten minutes to extend the scoreline to a jaw-dropping 7-2.

Spurs completely capitulated. The boos rang down from the stands at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and you can’t say they weren’t deserved. It was a shameful ending to a game that seemed like it could’ve gone either way in the first half.

There will be ramifications from this one.