Whirlwind Bayern dismantle Schalke 8-0 in season opener

Football - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich v Schalke 04 - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - September 18, 2020. Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. [REUTERS/Michael Dalder]

Treble winners Bayern Munich crushed Schalke 04 8-0 with a hat-trick from Serge Gnabry and a superb debut from Leroy Sane on Friday as they made a sensational start to the new Bundesliga season and sent an ominous warning to potential challengers.

Gnabry grabbed his first goal for the hosts with a fine turn and shot in the fourth minute in what turned out to be a one-sided affair that stretched Bayern's unbeaten run to 31 games this year, having now won the last 22 matches in a row.

Schalke, without a league win since January, were helpless against Bayern's lightning-quick game and Leon Goretzka found plenty of space to drive a low shot past keeper Ralf Faehrmann in the 19th minute.

Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry celebrates scoring their first goal with Benjamin Pavard. [REUTERS/Michael Dalder]

Last season's top scorer Robert Lewandowski found the net with a 31st-minute penalty to become the first player to score in 10 successive appearances against the same Bundesliga opponents.

Gnabry then scored twice from Sane's assists in the 47th and 59th before Thomas Mueller made it half a dozen.

Sane then capped a superb Bayern debut with a fine finish from a counter-attack before substitute Jamal Musiala drilled in goal number eight to become the youngest ever Bayern scorer in the league at 17 years old.