Pavard nets double as Bayern runs riot
Benjamin Pavard helped himself to a first-half double and Joao Cancelo scored his first Bayern Munich goal as the Bundesliga leader beat Augsburg 5-3 in a thriller.
Mergim Berisha's early goal stirred Bayern into life at Allianz Arena, where it was out of sight at half-time.
Cancelo equalised before Pavard struck twice in his 150th competitive game for the club and Leroy Sane made it 4-1 at the interval.
Berisha pulled one back with a penalty, but Alphonso Davies restored Bayern's three-goal advantage.
Irvin Cardona then struck in stoppage-time for Augsburg, but Bayern had already done enough to move three points clear of Borussia Dortmund ahead of the Revierderby against Schalke later in the day.
Berisha stunned the champion by opening the scoring in the second minute, taking one touch to turn Cancelo too easily before firing home from inside the box.
Cancelo made amends by rifling into the far corner of the net with his right foot after turning Mads Pedersen inside out and Pavard put Bayern in front with a close-range volley four minutes later after Sadio Mane, making his first start since November, set him up with an overhead kick.
Pavard struck again with a spectacular finish, propelling himself up with his left foot and firing in with his right 10 minutes before the break.
Sane got in on the act on the stroke of half-time by heading into an empty net after Mane's cross had struck Maximilian Bauer and goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz before looping into his path.
Berisha reduced the deficit from the spot after Matthijs de Ligt was adjudged to have upended Cardona on the hour-mark.
Ruthless Bayern remained in command, though, and Davies finished clinically at the back post after Cancelo picked him out with a brilliant cross.
Cardona capitalised on slack Bayern defending to turn in a Ruben Vargas cross right at the end, but a thrilling contest had long since been settled.
