Lazio 1-4 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich are on the verge of advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals after a dominating triumph over Lazio last Tuesday night.
Robert Lewandowski, Jamal Musiala, and Leroy Sane were solid for the Bavarian giants as they have shown to the world once again why they have one of the highest Champions League 2021 odds of winning the title once again.
Joaquin Correa was the only one who scored for Lazio in consolation, but an own goal from veteran defender Francesco Acerbi didn’t help at all.
With Bayern Munich struggling in form prior to this contest, this result against a topnotch club should provide them a major confidence boost ahead in their next set of fixtures.
Considering that they were severely undermanned compared to the hosts, a shot in the arm for Hansi Flick’s men spells bad news not only to the other participants in the Champions League, but also to their rivals in the Bundesliga.
As for Lazio, they should be commended for trying. However, the idea of upsetting the defending champions proved to be too daunting of a task for them.
Together with SBOTOP, let us take a look at last night’s package of Champions League 2021 highlights.
Highlights of the game
As Hansi Flick was missing some of his key cogs, the biggest concern for them coming into this game is their depth at the backline and in the midfield.
Benjamin Pavard is sidelined due to COVID-19, and his absence prompted Flick to put Niklas Sule at the right-back spot alongside Alphonso Davies, Jerome Boateng, and David Alaba.
Meanwhile, Corentin Tolisso is also out due to a ruptured thigh tendon, while Serge Gnabry, Douglas Costa, and Thomas Muller are all in the treatment table as well.
But from the moment the whistle sounded, Bayern Munich quickly erased all doubts about their recent form.
The Bavarian giants showed zero remorse for the Biancocelesti, as the latter had costly miscues on the defencive end.
Hansi Flick reacts from the sidelines during the Champions League showdown between Bayern and Lazio at Stadio Olimpico
Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring by pouncing on Mateo Musacchio’s poor back pass to Pepe Reina to score on a cool finish at the ninth minute.
Seven minutes later, Robert Lewandowski almost doubled their lead when his cheeky pass found its way to Leroy Sane, but Sane’s tip went far too wide on the right side.
Lazio should’ve drawn a penalty in the 18th minute when Jerome Boateng tripped Sergej Milinkovic-Savic inside the box. However, the referees didn’t blow their whistle at all.
That no-call proved to be costly for Lazio as Bayern Munich doubled their lead when Leon Goretzka teed up Jamal Musiala for a 24th-minute goal.
In the 36th-minute, Lazio had one of their rare chances when Ciro Immobile received a through ball inside the penalty area. However, Joaquin Correa couldn’t get the ball for what could’ve been an easy score.
Six minutes later, Bayern tripled their lead when Leroy Sane scored off of a rebound from a Kingsley Coman miss.
Leroy Sane would wreak havoc once more four minutes into the second half as he would outpace multiple Lazio defenders and his shot found its way to the goal after the ball hit Francesco Acerbi’s foot.
Joaquin Correa would score all on his own in the 49th minute for the final goal of the evening, but it was a case of little too late for Lazio.
Key statistics
It was another day in the office for Robert Lewandowski as he scored his 72nd goal in the Champions League to become the tournament’s solo all-time third leading scorer behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bayern Munich have scored in all of their last 19 Champions League matches, while Lazio have done the same feat in their last 13 Champions League games.
Moreover, Bayern Munich are undefeated in their last nine Champions League fixtures against Italian counterparts (W7, D2).
Jamal Musiala (17 years, 363 days) became the second-youngest player ever to score in the KO stages of the Champions League after Bojan (17 years, 217 days). The young attacking midfielder also became Bayern Munich’s youngest-ever European Cup scorer.
What’s next?
Lazio will aim to move back into the Champions League spots as they take a trip to Bologna on Sunday for their next Serie A fixture.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich go back home to host FC Koln on Saturday, who are currently in danger of being dropped to the relegation zone with their losing streak.
The second leg of this Champions League Round of 16 matchup is set on March 17 at the Allianz Arena.
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