Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich sent out a message for all to see against Lazio, ‘We are coming back for our Champions League’. Well four goals later, and a place in the quarter-finals practically secured, I think we can safely say, message received Mr Flick.
Record-breakers Robert Lewandowski and Jamal Musiala would open the scoring as ‘Der Bavarians’ would storm two ahead within half-an-hour.
Their third coming on the stroke of half-time by Leroy Sane. By the fiftieth minute, the scoring was over, as a Joaquin Correa goal was little more than a consolation, especially since just moments before Francesco Acerbi would put the ball in his own net.
Bayern Munich at their best!
From the word go Bayern were a class above Lazio. Where one side crumbled under the pressure of their first Champions League round of sixteen match in over twenty years, the other’s experience excelled.
As has been the case for so many years now Lewandowski opened the scoring. His ninth minute strike came after a calamitous back-pass from Lazio’s Matteo Musacchio. The real story though is what the goal does for Lewandowski. As the ball entered the net, the Polish international moved up to third place in the Champions League all-time top goal scorers.
Not one to be outdone, seventeen-year-old Musiala would bag Bayern’s second just fifteen minutes later. Bayern Munich’s youngest ever Bundesliga appearance maker and goalscorer is now their youngest ever Champions League scorer as well! Controlling the ball well, he expertly picked out the bottom-left corner with the precision of a player twice his age.
The rest of the game would be more of the same for Bayern. Expert attacking, countered by awful defending on the Lazio end. When Sane got the third just before half-time the game was over, and everyone knew it. Then as Acerbi bumbled the ball into his own net at the start of the second, the Lazio faithful would have been left wishing the game had ended after just forty-five.
Lost Lazio?
For a side who pride themselves on their defensive capability, and coming from a nation known for producing the best defenders the world has ever, Lazio were dreadful.
Both the first and third goal stemmed from huge defensive errors. The fourth and final nail in the coffin was an Acerbi own goal, which was probably what Lazio deserved.
Pepe Reina to his credit was still impressive when facing the Bayern attackers, so it is a real shame his defenders failed to do their part. Alongside Acerbi’s mistake, both Mussachio and Patric made errors leading to goals.
No stat, however, can truly showcase Lazio’s frailty more than the fact of the three starting centre-backs, two were subbed off. This decision was not injury-based, it was simply a matter of them not being good enough.
On the attacking end, Lazio were no better. Whilst Bayern will always be an imposing task, just this weekend Eintracht Frankfurt put on an attacking masterclass against Bayern, something Lazio failed to do.
What’s next?
The reverse fixture in Germany is a little under a month away on the seventeenth of March. Until then Lazio have four Serie A fixtures, including a tough away game to Turin for Juventus. These games will be must-win as they are currently just one point off the top four.
Bayern will only have three Bundesliga ties between now and the reverse fixture. The most notable of these is a home tie against Borussia Dortmund on the sixth of March. Der Bavarians currently sit top of the pile, two points clear of chasing RB Leipzig.
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