German powerhouse Bayern Munich secured a thumping 3-0 win over Serie A outfit Lazio in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 clash at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night (March 5). The resounding victory saw the Bavarians comfortably overturn the 1-0 deficit from the first leg and secure a place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 aggregate scoreline.
Harry Kane Notches Brace To Push Bayern Munich To UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals
Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel — a UEFA Champions League winner with Chelsea in 2021 — needed everything to fall into place to avoid an embarrassment in front of his fans on Tuesday. He needed one of his star men to come forward and lead, and former Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane answered the call. The 30-year-old, who has been in stellar form for his new club this season, produced a five-star performance in the most important match of the season, snuffing out Lazio’s chances of making their first Champions League quarter-final appearance since the 1999-2000 season.
After coming close a couple of times, Kane got on the scoresheet in the 38th minute, showing his superb awareness to latch on to Raphael Guerreiro’s scuffed attempt and sent it into the bottom-left corner. Just before the break, Thomas Muller applied a touch to Matthijs de Ligt’s goalbound volley, which took Ivan Provedel out of the equation and gave Bayern Munich an aggregate lead.
Finally, in the 66th minute, Kane put the game to bed, scoring the third goal of the second leg. Leroy Sane attempted to find the bottom-left corner with a low strike, but Provedel managed to push it away. Unfortunately for the visitors, their goalkeeper only sent the ball to Kane, who made no mistake in tucking away the rebound from close range.
Kane Hails ‘Perfect Night’, Thomas Tuchel Insists His Impending Departure Will Not Affect Bayern’s Performances
After his Man of the Match performance, Kane lauded his teammates for banding together and playing a perfect game at the Allianz Arena. He told Amazon Prime:
“It was a perfect night for us. Everyone with energy, all around the pitch, the way we played and created chances and pressed without the ball – it was a top, top performance.”
Coach Tuchel, meanwhile, emphasized the difficulty of the UEFA Champions League while insisting he would not let his imminent departure dampen Bayern’s spirits. The former Borussia Dortmund manager said:
“It’s the most difficult trophy to win in Europe, probably the world.
“But it doesn’t get any easier or more difficult if you have a long contract or if you’re leaving at the end of the season.”
In light of their struggles this season, Bayern Munich recently announced their decision to part ways with Tuchel at the end of the 2023-24 season. According to reports, Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is one of the favorites to replace the outgoing tactician.
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