In the round of 16 of the Champions League, FC Bayern Munich lost the game against Lazio Rome 0-1 (0-0) at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The German record champions now have to worry about reaching the quarter-finals. It could also be Bayern’s first titleless season since 2011/12.
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For the hosts, Ciro Immobile secured victory in the first game of the knockout phase with a penalty kick in the 69th minute. After a red card for Dayot Upamecano, Bayern had to play outnumbered for the last 20 minutes. They were no longer able to equalize.
“Lazio will make the most of being an outsider,” Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said before the game. Lazio, seventh in Serie A, played very defensively, especially at the beginning, but still had a few chances to score as the game progressed. However, Luis Alberto’s shot, which narrowly missed Manuel Neuer’s goal (22nd), as well as further attempts by Gustav Isaksen in the 37th and 48th minutes failed.
However, Bayern failed to score. A free kick from Leroy Sané, who was far from his form from the first half of the season, narrowly missed the goal in the 32nd minute. It was the second bitter defeat after the heavy 3-0 defeat in the top Bundesliga game against league leaders Bayer Leverkusen four days earlier.
Thomas Müller finds coaching discussion “disrespectful”
“We had three clear chances,” said Thomas Müller on the streaming service Dazn. The second half was once again “characterized by uncertainty,” he continued, and when it came to mistakes, it was “almost slapstick.”
Müller described the discussion as to whether Tuchel was still the right coach as “disrespectful”. “Of course the sporting situation is not good at the moment and everything else that FC Bayern has in mind is completely clear. Nevertheless, we are working every day, including the players and the coach, to overturn the problem.” You shouldn’t expect to tear yourself apart now. “We stand together and work towards the next game,” said the 34-year-old, looking ahead to next Sunday’s Bundesliga game in Bochum.
Sports director Christoph Freund, however, stuck with Tuchel as coach. “We’re all in the same boat. It’s not easy now, but we’ll get out of this together, that’s our big goal,” said the Austrian. He sees Tuchel every day, how he interacts with the team and trains. “Of course he’s also struggling with the situation because he wants to see the team differently on the pitch,” said Freund. However, he is convinced that things will get better again, said the sports director.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain won the home game against Real Sociedad 2-0 (0-0). Kylian Mbappé paved the way for his team towards the quarter-finals. He scored the first goal for the French in the 58th minute. Bradley Barcola (70th) marked the final score a little later.
In the round of 16 of the Champions League, FC Bayern Munich lost the game against Lazio Rome 0-1 (0-0) at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The German record champions now have to worry about reaching the quarter-finals. It could also be Bayern’s first titleless season since 2011/12.
For the hosts, Ciro Immobile secured victory in the first game of the knockout phase with a penalty kick in the 69th minute. After a red card for Dayot Upamecano, Bayern had to play outnumbered for the last 20 minutes. They were no longer able to equalize.