Bayern Munich didn’t need another defeat so soon after an embarrassing Bundesliga loss to Bayer Leverkusen, but that is exactly what happened when their Champions League campaign returned for the first knockout round on Wednesday.
Lazio executed a perfect tactical game, shutting down Bayern’s attacking flow with disciplined pressing and resolute defending. But there wasn’t enough quality from Thomas Tuchel’s team to overcome, failng to manage even one shot on target over the course of the 1-0 defeat.
In the end, Ciro Immobile’s 69th minute penalty was the difference and hands Lazio a narrow aggregate lead to try and hold onto in next month’s second leg in Germany.
Here’s how the players fared in 90min’s player ratings.
Noussair Mazraoui – 7/10
The bar wasn’t a high one, but Noussair Mazraoui did more to effect the game in a positive way than anyone else in a Bayern shirt. The right-back saw plenty of the ball and got forward on several occasions, playing the ball into the final third with regularity.
Honourable mention
Thomas Muller – 7/10
On a night when Lazio squeezed the space around Bayern’s attacking players with frustrating effectiveness, creating chances was going to be tough no matter what. Thomas Muller has had far better games than this but he was the only Bayern player who looked capable of consistently finding an incisive final pass. it was just that no one could hit the target.
Dayot Upamecano – 3/10
In a nutshell, Dayot Upamecano’s mis-timed tackle on Gustav Isaksen cost Bayern the game. The Frenchman missed the ball, taking his opponent’s ankle instead. Not only did he concede a penalty, the referee considered it dangerous enough to warrant a red card and there was no VAR intervention.
Even before that, Upamecano had looked like he could be the weak link in the defence, getting caught when Isaksen had a chance straight after half-time that he should have scored but for Manuel Neuer.
Dishonourable mention
Harry Kane – 4/10
Harry Kane was slated by the German press for an invisible performance against Leverkusen at the weekend and this wasn’t much better. It wasn’t exactly his fault but Lazio identified the England captain as the dangerman and effectively marked him out of the game. He couldn’t respond.
