After the loss in Rome, Bayern Munich were whipped to overturn a 1-0 deficit when Lazio visited the Alianz Arena on Tuesday night. This is to advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Information in the German press had claimed before the meeting that outgoing head coach Thomas Tuchel would likely be fired if the Bundesliga giant failed to advance in the tournament. Additional pressure, then.
The Bayern coach then chose to bench Kim Min-jae, who was bought from Napoli for around 580 million this summer. Instead, Tottenham new acquisition Eric Dier got the chance from the start along with Matthijs de Ligt in the central lock. A decision that caused surprise in TV4 Play’s pre-studio.
– I do not understand what is happening, said expert Siavoush Fallahi, among other things.
Once the game got going, Bayern took command straight away. The Germans brought the game in front of their home crowd and initially came up with a couple of half-chances.
No dividend, then. Instead, Lazio came close to breaking the deadlock just before the break. A cross from the left reached top scorer Ciro Immobile, who failed to get his header on target.
– A great location. That he should do better, said commentator Adam Pinthorp in TV4 Play’s broadcast.
Just minutes later, another shooter presented himself.
Harry Kane was correctly positioned in the penalty area when he headed in from close range to make it 1-0, leveling the doubleheader. It was the Englishman’s 32nd goal in the Bayern jersey.
– Kane perceives his position better than Immobile did just now. Careful, said expert Olof Mellberg.
And in added time in the first half, Bayern turned the tables.
Matthijs de Ligt then got on a volley, which Thomas Müller carefully headed in in front of the goal to make it 2-0. A goal that then and there took the German giant through to the quarter-finals.
– It feels like it has been said a hundred times: right place at the right time! Müller is so underrated. That’s exactly what he’s good at. Game intelligence and alert enough to direct the ball in, Fallahi said in TV4 Play’s half-time studio.
At the start of the second half, Bayern extended their lead to 3-0. Once again it was Kane who scored, as he appeared unmarked at the far post and headed a rebound into the open box.
With that, the 30-year-old went up to share the scoring lead in the Champions League. Both he and Kylian Mbappé have now netted six times in the tournament.
– There he appeared in goal-stealing fashion! Pinthorp roared into the broadcast.
– Woeful defensive play by Lazio. Way too hollow. Bayern are completely superior right now, Olof Mellberg added.
Bayern Munich then controlled the proceedings and eventually won the second leg 3-0. The German giant is thus ready for the quarter-finals after Lazio was defeated 3-1 on aggregate over two matches.
After the match, Lazio Dane Gustav Isaksen was clear about what went wrong for the visitors.
– We faced a better team today, they were too good for us. Ciro (Immobile) had a very good chance in the first half. In this type of match you don’t get many opportunities, we would have had to score there to win today, he tells TV4 Play.
Bayern’s victory does not only mean continued play in the Champions League. Thomas Tuchel also gets to keep his coaching job until further notice. At least what it seems.
– What stands out to me is that the players who decided today are the players who were rumored to be on Tuchel’s side, that he can get it out of them. Muller, Kane. And (Aleksandar) Pavlovic who wouldn’t have been allowed to play without Tuchel. That they come out and dominate from start to finish is impressive, says Siavoush Fallahi in TV4 Play’s post-studio.
– Bayern have come from many shaky results and a bad period. They have been under pressure. Did this performance come because it was the Champions League? No one wants to embarrass themselves in front of the world. But it was a good effort.
Billionaire acquisition and two-goal scorer Harry Kane was praised for his efforts:
– You can’t complain about him. It’s his job to score, and he’s scored 33 in 33 games now. You can actually stay there, says expert Vicki Blomme.
Startelvor:
Bayern Munich: Neuer – Kimmich, de Ligt, Dier, Guerreiro – Pavlovic, Goretzka – Sané, Müller, Musiala – Kane.
Lazio: Provedel – Marusic, Mario Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini – Guendouzi, Vecino, Luis Alberto – Zaccagni, Immobile, Felipe Anderson.
