Bayern Munich cruise to an emphatic 4 – 1 win over Lazio in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday night.
The Bundesliga giants opened scoring barely 10 minutes into the encounter as a back pass from Matteo Massachio was pounced on by Robert Lewandowski, who rounded Pepe Reina before slotting into an empty net.
The defending champions got on the scoresheet once again through Jamal Musiala, who scored his first Champions League goal from outside the box to become the youngest player to ever score a goal for a Bundesliga side in the European competition, at 17 years and 363 days, Musiala became
Leroy Sane grabbed the third goal for the Bavarians after he put in a rebound to give the German champions a three-goal lead at half-time.
Filipo Inzaghi’s side began the second-half in a poorer note as Acerbi turned into his own net after Sane had ended a devastating counter-attack by squaring the ball into the box in the 47th minute.
The victory gives Bayern Munich an overwhelming advantage to take into the second leg slated for March 17.
Here are three talking points from the fixture:
Bayern Munich bounced back from a disappointing weekend
Bayern Munich have not been spectacular in recent weeks and came into this fixture having suffered a 2-1 reversal to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.
However, Bayern Munich brought their A-game to the fore to ensure that the hosts did not stand a chance.
The Bavarians’ performance was reminiscent of recent Champions League thumping of Barcelona and Chelsea.
The victory means that the Bavarians have now gone 17 away games without defeat in the Champions League, which is a tournament record.
Bayern’s victory over Lazio was a perfect response to the weekend’s setback, and Hansi Flick will be hoping for more of the same when Bayern take on FC Koln on Saturday.
Ciro Immobile mute for the entire duration
Lazio’s talisman Ciro Immobile failed to come to the fore despite being sensational for the Rome based team for the last five seasons.
The 31-year-old, whose exploits saw him win a maiden European Golden Shoe in the last season, with 36 goals, could only manage three shots on the night as Lazio’s consolation goal came through midfielder Joaquin Correa in the 49th minute.
It was expected that he would lead Lazio’s charge against Bayern Munich. However, the Italy international failed to make a mark after all.
Inzaghi’s men had several scoring opportunities but a poor decision making in the final third proved a disadvantage.
Unstoppable Lewandowski gets into the record books
Robert Lewandowski has obviously continued from where he left off last term as he remains consistent in front of goal for the Bavarians.
The Poland international was the driving force behind Bayern’s dominance last season and the 32-year-old forward has so far, taken his tally to 32 goals from 31 appearances this season in all competitions.
He has now scored 72 goals overall in the UEFA Champions League, overtaking the legendary Raul Gonzalez to sit third on the all-time standings.
Only the iconic duo of Lionel Messi (119) and Cristiano Ronaldo (134) sit above him.
