Ruthless Bayern Munich scored five goals in the first 35 minutes on the way to a 7-1 demolition of AS Roma which bore an uncanny resemblance to Germany's win over Brazil by the same score in the World Cup semi-final.

Just as Germany did in Belo Horizonte three months ago, Bayern enjoyed a scarcely believable spell midway through the first half when their opponents' defence imploded and every attack resulted in a goal.

Roma's coaching staff, substitutes and supporters looked on in stunned amazement as Bayern ripped through their shell-shocked defence, scoring four goals between the 23rd and 35th minutes on their way to their record European away win.

With their 38-year-old talismanic forward Francesco Totti performing a disappearing act, the hosts had no answer to Bayern's relentless pressing and struggled to get the ball out of their own half, with every mistake starting off another surgical Bayern attack.

Bayern's side included four players from the Belo Horizonte match which also ended 7-1 - Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller and Jerome Boateng.

Arjen Robben scored twice, while Mario Goetze, Robert Lewandowski and Mueller, from a penalty, also chipped in before halftime and substitutes Franck Ribery and Xherdan Shaqiri completed the rout after the break.

Gervinho provided Roma's consolation and prevented Bayern keeping a clean sheet for the ninth match in a row in all competitions.

Roma, who had never conceded more than three goals in a home European game before, equalled their heaviest-ever European defeat, a 7-1 loss to Manchester United.

TECHNICAL COLLAPSE

"It was a technical collapse, not a mental one," said Roma coach Rudi Garcia, whose last match against Bayern ended in a 6-1 rout when he was coach of French club Lille two seasons ago.

"The first person to make a mistake was myself. I got the strategy wrong. In the second half, we showed some pride and would of scored more goals if it hadn't been for their goalkeeper."

"I'm upset for our fans," added midfielder Daniele De Rossi, whose side must visit Bayern in two weeks' time. "The city had waited so long for this game."

Robben opened the floodgates in the ninth minute when he collected the ball on the edge of the area, jinked inside Ashley Cole and effortlessly curled his shot past Morgan De Sanctis.

It was ominously simple for the Dutchman and suggested Roma were in for a long night.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer stopped Gervinho's shot two minutes later, preventing a goal which could have dramatically changed the course of the game, and from then on it was all Bayern.

The second came in the 23rd minute when Bayern dispossessed Roma in their own half and the move ended with Goetze exchanging passes with Mueller and wrong-footing De Sanctis from the edge of the area, again with embarrassing ease.

Two minutes later, an unmarked Lewandowski headed in Juan Bernat's cross from six metres after Bayern again won possession.

The move for the fourth goal started inside Bayern's own half and ended with Lewandowski's pass sending Robben clear of Cole to fire past De Santcis on the half hour as Garcia looked on bemused from the bench.

Mueller, looking too embarrassed to celebrate, converted a penalty after handball by Kostas Manolas five minutes after that and Roma summed up their first half when they lost possession immediately from the re-start

Roma were less submissive after halftime and Gervinho, having hit the post and been denied again by Neuer, finally headed one back in the 66th minute.

But Bayern's substitutes were determined to get in on the act and Ribery, having just come on, ran on to Robben's through ball and chipped De Sanctis.

Shaqiri completed the scoring after Bayern had again won possession in the Roma half.

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