The defeat in Rome put FC Bayern in a difficult position. The pressure is on before the second leg. And one statistic clouds hope.
The stadium announcer at the Stadio Olimpico could hardly calm down. He kept calling out the name “Ciro” while the Lazio supporters responded with “Immobile.” The Italian striker gave his team the lead with a penalty in the Champions League round of 16 against FC Bayern. The goal to make it 1-0 was also the last of the game and decided the game in Lazio’s favor. The starting position before the second leg on March 5th in Munich is now unfavorable.
And the recent past in knockout games speaks against the record champions. For Bayern, defeats in the first leg have always been followed by elimination in the last eight cases:
- Season 2022/23, quarter-finals: FC Bayern loses 3-0 at Manchester City and is eliminated after a 1-1 draw in the second leg.
- Season 2021/22, quarter-finals: In Villarreal there is a 0-1 defeat. In the second leg, Bayern only managed a 1-1 draw.
- Season 2020/21, quarter-finals: Bayern lose 2-3 against the star ensemble from Paris in the Allianz Arena. In the second leg it was 1-0 for FCB, but the away goals rule sealed the end.
- Season 2017/18, semi-final: FC Bayern can no longer successfully turn around the 1:2 against Real Madrid. In the second leg it was “only” 2:2.
- Season 2016/17, quarter-finals: A 1:2 in Munich was followed by an exit after extra time against Real Madrid.
- Season 2015/16, semi-finals: FC Bayern wants to secure their ticket to the final against Atlético Madrid. But the 0:1 in the first leg causes Bayern to stumble. In the second leg it was 2-1, but the away goals rule sealed the outcome.
- Season 2014/15, semi-final: Pep Guardiola’s Bayern team lost 3-0 to his former club from Barcelona and was unable to turn things around in the second leg.
- Season 2013/14, semi-finals: Real Madrid is the final destination. The 0:1 in Madrid is followed by a 0:4 in Munich.
In the two interim seasons not mentioned, FC Bayern were eliminated without a first leg defeat (2018/2019) or won the title (2019/2020).
Only when you look at the 2011/2012 season can you find a duel in which Bayern managed to turn things around after a defeat. At that time it came down to business in the round of 16 against FC Basel. In the “Joggeli”, as St. Jakob Park is also called, there was a 0-1 defeat. But there was a clear answer in the Allianz Arena: Bayern won 7-0 and paved the way for the “final at home”.