Lazio upset the apple cart on Wednesday night to make a significant step toward overcoming Bayern Munich in their Champions League last-16 tie. Maurizio Sarri’s side pulled off a gutsy 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico to take a narrow lead into the return leg at the Allianz Arena.
After reaching the Champions League knockouts for only the second time in the club’s history, Lazio realized their road to the quarter-finals would require a vengeance for a 2020/21 last-16 elimination at the hands of Bayern Munich. Sarri’s team headed into proceedings in high spirits following a 3-0 thumping of Serie A relegation candidates Cagliari at the weekend.
However, bookmakers, including Ladbrokes, considered Lazio a betting outsider. To substantiate this thesis, visiting Bayern Munich took this trip unbeaten in continental action for ten months, albeit off the back of a dreadful 3-0 defeat to fierce Bundesliga title rivals Bayer Leverkusen last weekend.
With the pressure mounting on manager Thomas Tuchel, failure wasn’t an option for the perennial German champions. They started the game accordingly, creating two decent scoring opportunities within the opening five minutes of play. But leading Bundesliga scorer Harry Kane was well below his A-game tonight.
Kane’s underwhelming display made Lazio’s life easier, but truth be told, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker barely had a clear sight of Ivan Provedel’s goal for the rest of the match. Like Bayern, Lazio found their goalscoring chances hard to come by, though Luis Alberto tried his luck from mid-range, only to see his thunderous effort fly well over the bar.
The visitors replied through out-of-sorts Leroy Sane. The former Manchester City winger produced a devastating free-kick from the edge of the box, yet his shot went agonizingly wide of the post. Bayern nearly took the lead on the stroke of halftime following an outstanding team effort.
After exchanging several quick passes near Lazio’s penalty area, Thomas Muller released Jamal Musiala one-on-one against Provedel. Luckily for Lazio, the super-talented youngster skied the ball into the stands from only a few yards out.
It wasn’t a game of high intensity, let alone promising chances. But it worked perfectly for Lazio, who have proved well-versed in coming out on top of evenly-contested home fixtures this season. The Biancoclesti almost punished Musiala’s miss at the start of the second half.
Gustav Isaksen had a glorious opportunity barely a minute after the break, only for Manuel Neuer to deny him from point-blank. It’s worth mentioning the highly-rated forward was clumsy, allowing the German veteran to avert the danger with relative ease.
Despite squandering Lazio’s best chance of the game, Isaksen made amends midway through the second half. He latched onto a loose ball inside Bayern’s box and went for goal. Though he couldn’t hit the target, Dayot Upamecano’s mindless tackle resulted in a penalty and a straight red, turning the tide in Lazio’s favor.
Talismanic marksman Ciro Immobile was relentless from the spot, sending Neuer the wrong way to put Lazio in front. With a man up, the Italians effortlessly held onto a narrow lead to keep a fifth consecutive clean sheet on home soil and secure a crucial advantage ahead of a daunting trip to Munich.