Another setback for FC Bayern. The record champions lost the first leg of the round of 16 in the Champions League in Rome.
FC Bayern simply can’t get back on the road to success. After the deserved 3-0 defeat in the Bundesliga top game against Bayer Leverkusen, there was also a defeat in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
The German record champions lost 1-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 at Lazio. The golden goal was scored by former BVB star Ciro Immobile, who ice-coldly sank a penalty kick (69th minute). Doubly bitter for Bayern: Dayot Upamecano had recently fouled Gustav Isaksen and was shown a red card – he will definitely be in the second leg on March 5th. missing in Munich.
That’s how the game went
After the serious goal in Leverkusen, coach Thomas Tuchel is threatening an early knockout in the Champions League with a reeling Bayern team – and thus the first titleless season since 2011/12.
The fact that coach Thomas Tuchel returned to the tried and tested playing system and an eleven with the drivers Thomas Müller and Joshua Kimmich after the 0:3 in the top league game at Bayer Leverkusen initially had an effect. However, despite having a lot of possession, it didn’t translate into goals. The offensive forces around Harry Kane, Leroy Sané and Jamal Musiala are currently clearly lacking form and esprit.
“I hope that we play without a backpack,” Tuchel said to DAZN shortly before kick-off. For long stretches, Munich’s game, which was once again riddled with mistakes, seemed like hard work.
Tried a lot but nothing paid off
Kimmich, who tried a shot early on (2nd), and Müller, who set up a chance for Harry Kane a little later (7th), wanted to take control of the game from the start. Like the rest of the team, it was clear that the two leaders were lacking ease after difficult days in the Bundesliga. Especially since Lazio limited themselves to defense at the beginning and showed little interest in creating space and thus offering Bayern space.
A free kick from Sané, who was far from his form in the first half of the season, narrowly missed the goal (32′). Musiala’s finish after a good individual performance (40′) would normally be hard to highlight, but it was one of Munich’s few chances to take the lead in the first half that evening. Tuchel watched the encounter sometimes standing, sometimes sitting with a critical eye.
The Bayern defense around Upamecano and Minjae Kim was hardly challenged in the first half. Coach Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio team – unlike Leverkusen four days ago – mainly deals with pressing, but not with dangerous offensive actions. Exceptions were Luis Alberto’s shot, which narrowly missed Neuer’s goal (22′), and Isaksen’s shot, which missed the target even more clearly (37′).
“Lazio will make the most of being an outsider,” Tuchel had predicted – and he was right. The seventh-placed team in Serie A remained an uncomfortable opponent, driven by the loud home crowd – and was suddenly dangerous to score at the start of the second half. After a mistake by Upamecano, the ball went to Isaksen, but he was too hesitant to finish and was denied by Neuer (48′). Lazio now sensed how vulnerable Bayern are.
Tuchel had already made a slight change, ordering Musiala to the center behind Kane, Sané to the left and Müller to the right. But the measure couldn’t really inspire Bayern’s game. Then Upamecano initiated the next setback with his clear foul on Isaksen in the penalty area: Immobile made the fans in Rome cheer. With one man less, the task became even more difficult for the Munich team. In the final phase, Lazio even pushed for the second goal.