Bay Munich 3 – 0 Lazio
Bayern Munich secured a comprehensive 3-0 (Agg: 3-1) victory over Lazio at the Allianz Arena to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Ciro Immobile’s penalty gave Lazio a 1-0 win in the first leg of their last-16 tie in Rome last month, but first-half goals from Harry Kane and Thomas Muller turned the tie on its head before the break in Munich on Tuesday as Lazio rued a big missed opportunity with the score still 0-0.
The game and the tie was made safe when Kane added Bayern’s third and his second of the night for his sixth goal in eight Champions League games this season. The England captain now has 33 goals in 33 games in all competitions for the German side.
The result sees Bayern book their place in the quarter-final draw, which take place on Friday March 15. It keeps alive Bayern and Kane’s hopes of ending the season with silverware, especially with their struggles in the Bundesliga where they trail league leaders Bayer Leverkusen by 10 points.
Speaking after the game, Kane believes the win against Lazio could help change the momentum of the season for Bayern, who picked up just their second in six games in all competitions.
“It was an important night,” Kane said. “It can really change the momentum of the season.”
How Kane’s goal helped Bayern progress
Bayern came into the game facing the prospect of just their second exit in 12 appearances at this stage of the Champions League.
You could sense the tension in the Bayern players in the early exchanges with Lazio looking a threat on the break. Ciro Immobile’s header was their best chance but he failed to hit the target with the goal at his mercy.
The glaring miss was punished just a minute later as Kane scored his first knockout stage goal in the competition in five years with a diving header to convert Raphael Guerreiro’s miskick.
Jamal Musiala almost added another seconds later but his sliding shot just missed the target before Thomas Muller headed in a Matthijs de Ligt volley on the stroke of half-time to complete the turnaround for Bayern.
After the break, Kane killed off any hopes of a Lazio comeback in the 68th minute, tapping in the rebound after Leroy Sane’s shot was palmed into his path.
Bayern went in search of a fourth and Muller almost scored a second himself but Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel tipped his shot onto the post.
It was a comfortable ending to the game as the Bundesliga champions, who have now made it to at least the final eight in 12 of the last 13 campaigns, put some indifferent form behind them.
Kane: ‘Win can change momentum of season’
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane:
“It was an important game for us today. It’s been a difficult season, partly down to what Bayer Leverkusen are doing. They are still undefeated which makes our season seem a bit worse than it actually is.
“It’s an important night. It can really change the whole momentum of the season.
“We were 1-0 behind and going through a difficult spell so to come out here, play the way we did and for me personally, to score a couple of goals was an amazing feeling.
“Hopefully I can take that into the games ahead and the team as well.”
Kane’s incredible numbers
Harry Kane celebrates scoring against Lazio
Kane has now scored 27 Champions League goals, with Wayne Rooney (30) the only Englishman to score more in the competition.
He also has more combined goals and assists in this season’s competition than any other player with nine (six goals, three assists).
Kane has scored 33 goals in 33 games for Bayern in all competitions this season, beating his tally from 49 games with Tottenham Hotspur last season (32).
Meanwhile, no player in Europe’s big five leagues has been involved in more goals than Kane this season, who has 41 (33 goals, 8 assists).
Opta stats: Bayern overturn deficit to progress
Bayern Munich have progressed from four Champions League knockout stage ties having lost the first leg, with only Barcelona, Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid (all 5) doing so more.
Lazio have won just two of their last 20 UEFA Champions League away games (D5 L13), keeping just one clean sheet in that run. The Italian side failed to record a single shot on target in this match, the first time on record (since 2003-04) they’ve failed to do so in a UEFA Champions League match.
No Bayern player created more chances (4) or had more shots (5) against Lazio tonight than Jamal Musiala. At 21 years and 8 days, he’s the youngest player to have 5+ shots and create 4+ chances in a UEFA Champions League knockout stage match since Lionel Messi against Celtic in February 2008 (20y 241d).
What’s next for Bayern Munich and Lazio?
Bayern Munich face Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday (kick-off 2:30pm) as they try to gain ground on title rivals Bayer Leverkusen Watch highlights for free on Sky Sports’ digital platforms.
Lazio, meanwhile, play Udinese in Serie A on Monday; kick-off 7.45pm.
Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight showdown with Francis Ngannou takes place on Friday March 8, live on Sky Sports Box Office with the main event expected around 11pm. Book Joshua vs Ngannou now!
Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp!
You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!
Find out more here…
