- Lazio Rome beat Bayern Munich 1-0 at home in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.
- Ciro Immobile scored the golden goal for the hosts with a penalty after Dayot Upamecano was sent off.
- In the other Wednesday game, Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Sociedad San Sebastian 2-0.
After the 3-0 defeat in the top game against Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday, Bayern failed to achieve the hoped-for turnaround at the start of the knockout phase of the Champions League. The Germans suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of the round of 16 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, meaning they are under pressure in the second leg.
The wake-up call for Thomas Tuchel’s team actually came minutes after the break. After a mistake by Dayot Upamecano, Luis Alberto played a strong pass to Gustav Isaksen. But the Dane waited too long so Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer was there.
Upamecano against Isaksen too late
Tuchel visibly disliked his team’s return to action. The 50-year-old whirled, gesticulated and swore wildly on the sidelines. But the action had no effect; instead, Tuchel only witnessed how the same protagonists made the preliminary decision 20 minutes later.
In Munich’s penalty area, Upamecano came too late against Isaksen and hit the Dane with an open sole above the ankle. Referee Francois Letexier didn’t hesitate and sent off the Frenchman with a red card. Ciro Immobile then took responsibility and confidently took the penalty. The 1-0 lead brought the stadium in Rome to a boil.
The guests from Munich also had a difficult time afterwards. As in the first half, they had more possession of the ball, but they weren’t compelling. The best chances for FCB, who had switched to 3 positions compared to the Leverkusen game, were missed by Leroy Sané (32nd) and Jamal Musiala (40th).
No shot on goal for Bayern
But Bayern couldn’t get a shot on goal until the end. Instead, they had to count themselves lucky that Felipe Anderson didn’t make it 2-0 in the 89th minute.
And so the Munich team not only suffered their first defeat in the third match against Lazio, but also lost a round of 16 first leg in the “premier class” for the first time in 12 years. In 2012 they lost the first leg against Basel 0-1 – only to then dominate the second leg 7-0.
This is how it continues
Bayern have the opportunity to turn things around against Lazio in 3 weeks: the second leg of the round of 16 will take place on Tuesday, March 5th in Munich. The domestic championships continue for both teams on Sunday: Lazio hosts Bologna, Bayern face VfL Bochum.