Defeat, a red card and another night of frustration. The pressure is growing on Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel and Harry Kane's best chance of a trophy may be slipping away.
2023/2024 UEFA Champions League
1-0
Match Report
Bayern should have beaten Lazio comfortably in the first leg of this last 16 tie but Kane, among others, were guilty of wasting chance after chance before Ciro Immobile's 69th minute penalty gave the Italians victory.
Dayot Upamecano, who brought down Gustav Isaksen for the spot-kick, was sent off and will miss the second leg in Munich.
It is no surprise Tuchel had his head in his hands in the dugout. His team had 16 shots but not a single one found the target. Bayern had come into this tie off the back of defeat by Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, which left them five points adrift at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Kane, who had just three touches in Lazio's box last night, admitted it had been a 'really tough' week.
'We're in a difficult spell, there's no hiding that, but we have to fight and we have to turn it around,' Kane said.
'In the first half we had some clear chances. In these games, they're big moments and we weren't able to take them.
'The second half was disappointing. We came out with less energy and less confidence.
'Ultimately, we got punished. We're still in the race for the Bundesliga, still in this tie. We will never give up. We have to keep fighting and try and turn our momentum around.'
Bayern should have taken the lead on multiple occasions but were wasteful in front of goal. Joshua Kimmich sliced a shot wide from inside the box in just the second minute. Then it was Kane's turn to miss the target. The forward was picked out in the box by Thomas Muller but lost his balance, sending a wayward effort over the bar from seven yards out.
Bayern continued to create the best opportunities and went close again when a well-worked free-kick resulted in Leroy Sane firing a shot inches wide of the left post. Another huge chance came just before the half-time whistle when Jamal Musiala danced his way through the box before lifting his shot over the crossbar.
Lazio were better in the second half and should have opened the scoring when Isaksen was played through by Alberto, but the forward's heavy touch allowed Manuel Neuer to make an important save.
The Italians had grown into the game and, with 21 minutes to go, were awarded a penalty after a moment of madness from Upamecano. Immobile dribbled his way through the Bayern defence before laying the ball off to Isaksen. His shot flew wide but the forward was caught by the studs of Upamecano after the ball had gone.
Referee Francois Letexier pointed to the spot and, deeming the defender had used excessive force, brandished a red card. Immobile stepped up to calmly convert into the bottom right corner. A statement from Bayern at full-time condemned racist abuse which had been directed to Upamecano on social media following his mistake.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
2' CHANCE! Kimmich's shot wide out
7' Kane's shot over the bar
22' Alberto's long shot inches wide
31' Sane's free kick wide out
40' CLOSE! Musiala's shot over the bar
49' Isaksen misses good chance
57' Kane's header over the bar
67' Red Card! Upamecano sent off
69' Penalty Goal! Lazio 1-0 Bayern (Immobile)
Line-ups
Lazio XI: Immobile, Alberto, Hysaj, Anderson, Romagnoli, Marusic, Ivan Provedel, Cataldi, Guendouzi, Gustav Isaksen, Mario Gila
Subs: Pedro, Luigi Sepe, Patric, Lazzari, Kamada, Nicolò Casale, Taty Castellanos, Federico Magro, Luca Napolitano
Bayern XI: Neuer, Muller, Kane, Guerreiro, Goretzka, Kimmich, Sane, Mazraoui, Upamecano, Min-jae Kim, Jamal Musiala
Subs: Choupo-Moting, Ulreich, Dier, De Ligt, Sacha Boey, Mathys Tel, Bryan Zaragoza, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Max Schmitt