The Südkurve drummers played a tribal beat as Bayern Munich’s players launched relentless and ferocious attacks on the field. The Allianz Arena crowd joined in with swaying and chanting. If one closed their eyes and let go of worries, it was easy to transport back to happier times and envision a positive outcome.
They’re not, of course. Bayer Leverkusen are running away with the Bundesliga, coach Thomas Tuchel is off in the summer, and there’s a sound case for swilling out around a third of his underperforming squad with him. But still, the stolen glance at a truncated dream that dares to return their gaze. Bayern are still in the Champions League. They still have unfinished business and a front four you would wade through thick snow to watch. And they still have Harry Kane.
How ironic it would be if Kane, a man who has never won a trophy in his lifetime, was the one who led this group of consistent winners and inherited champions to victory. His 32nd and 33rd goals of the season helped secure their spot in the quarter-finals, along with a stellar performance from Thomas Müller. As Bayern continued to dominate, Lazio struggled and showed why they are currently ninth in the Serie A standings.
If Bayern can successfully navigate through the next three rounds and make their way up to Wembley’s royal box, they may look back on the crucial two minutes that completely changed the course of this match. After Ciro Immobile missed a clear chance to score from a free header just six yards away, Harry Kane scored for Bayern from a deflected shot by Raphaël Guerreiro. In these high-pressure situations, these small instances can make all the difference. Bayern understands more than anyone that at this point in the season, you must take advantage of any bit of good fortune that comes your way.
Just before the end of the first half, Müller scored another goal by heading in a powerful volley from Matthijs de Ligt. Later on, during a quick counterattack, Kane tapped in a deflected shot from Leroy Sané to score a third goal. Bayern could have easily scored even more goals. However, the most significant thing was that they seemed to have found their old confidence and arrogance, which has been lacking in recent games. The legendary Bayern teams were ruthless and instinctive. Everyone was aware of their roles and the inevitable outcome.
Tuchel, who walked with a slight limp due to kicking a box during his pre-match team talk and breaking his toe, stated that his team stayed focused and disciplined for the entire 90 minutes. He also mentioned that they did not make any hasty decisions, instead waiting for opportunities to arise and having a good sense of when to speed up and when to take risks. He believes that their performance may have appeared effortless, but it was actually quite challenging.
Similarly, it must be acknowledged that Lazio’s performance was rather underwhelming. Maurizio Sarri’s strategy had successfully guided them through 130 minutes of the match, relying on a defensive approach and utilizing the speed of Felipe Anderson and the energy of Immobile to counterattack. However, when the situation called for them to take control of the game, they seemed to fade away into obscurity. While Anderson caused chaos on the right flank and Luis Alberto was the most active in their midfield trio, they ultimately failed to produce a single shot on goal throughout the night.
Sarri, in a desperate move, replaced the team captain Immobile (who has scored 206 goals for Lazio in 329 games) with the Argentinian striker Taty Castellanos (who has only scored two goals in 25 games) after an hour of play. This was indicative of Lazio’s difficulty in adapting and finding alternative strategies to win this season. In fact, they have recorded the least number of points in Serie A when playing from a losing position.
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However, when Lazio attempted to expand their play, moving their full-backs up and trying to be more daring in their midfield play, there was a noticeable deficiency. The positioning was off, the chemistry was off, and Bayern quickly regained control and took advantage of the gaps in the defense.
Bayern will face harder challenges in the future. Several of their key players, such as Joshua Kimmich and Manuel Neuer, are underperforming. The defensive partnership of De Ligt and Eric Dier appear weak against fast attacking teams. However, there is still a chance for improvement as long as there is some hope.
According to Kane, nights like this can have a significant impact on the season. For Bayern, it was a chance to heal, start fresh, and briefly envision themselves as champions once more.
Source: theguardian.com
