Lazio pulled off a sensational upset against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, as Ciro Immobile’s second-half penalty gave them a 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Italian side, who had not reached this stage of the competition since 2000, defended bravely and took their chance when it came, after Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano was sent off for a reckless tackle on Gustav Isaksen.
Immobile, the Serie A top scorer, kept his cool from the spot and sent Manuel Neuer the wrong way to score his 25th goal of the season and send the home fans into ecstasy.
Bayern, who had won their previous five games in the group stage, looked out of sorts and failed to register a single shot on target. Harry Kane, who had scored 10 goals in his last eight games, was isolated and frustrated by Lazio’s disciplined backline.
The German champions, who had thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, will have to regroup and find their form for the second leg at the Allianz Arena on March 5, where they will hope to avoid a shock exit from the tournament they won last season.
Lazio, meanwhile, will take confidence from their performance and hope to repeat their heroics in Munich, where they will aim to make history and reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
Lazio captain Ciro Immobile to Amazon Prime:
“We worked and prepared for this game to have our say.
“I was convinced that the team would give everything. I had said to give our fans a night to remember and we succeeded. Before and after the goal we had other chances. Maybe we had to be better at taking advantage of them, but overall it’s OK.
“Playing these games gives you enormous professional satisfaction. And sharing these moments with the fans is why we started playing from an early age.”
Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel
“We’re frustrated and angry about the defeat. I think we lost the game, I’m not sure Lazio won it.
“I’m not sure why we lost our conviction in the second half, but we did, and then we fell behind. I can’t explain it because we told the team to maintain their intensity and be even braver going forward, but we seemed to lose face at the start of the half.
“There are things we can build on. In the first half, we created some good chances, some big chances and one huge one with Jamal [Musiala], but in the end we didn’t have a single shot on target, so it’s clear you can’t win a game like that.
“But we’ve got a second leg and, obviously in conjunction with the last result, it doesn’t look great, but we’ll keep working hard.”
