Bayern Munich’s dominant 3-0 victory over Lazio: Harry Kane’s Double Secures Champions League Quarter-Final Berth
Bayern Munich’s dominant 3-0 victory over Lazio at the Allianz Arena not only overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg but also secured their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Harry Kane (2) and Thomas Muller goals completed a 3-1 aggregate victory for Bayern, who had trailed 1-0 after the first leg. On March 15, the match ended in a tie.
Lazio won 1-0 thanks to a penalty kick from Ciro Immobile in the first leg of their last-16 match in Rome last month. However, goals from Harry Kane and Thomas Muller in the first half changed the game before halftime on Tuesday in Munich, leaving Lazio feeling disappointed about a significant opportunity lost with the score still 0-0.
Kane’s goal, Bayern’s third and his second of the evening, secured the victory and the tie. This is his sixth goal in eight Champions League games this season. For the German team, the England captain has scored 33 goals in 33 games in all competitions.
Bayern has secured a spot in the quarterfinal draw, which is scheduled on Friday, March 15. In light of their difficulties in the Bundesliga, where they are currently 10 points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, it preserves Bayern and Kane’s dreams of finishing the season with trophies.
Speaking to the media following the match, Kane thought that Bayern, who won just their second game in six overall, may potentially turn around their season with the victory over Lazio.
“That night was significant,” Kane remarked. “It can really change the momentum of the season.”
How Kane’s goal boosted Bayern
Bayern entered the match with the possibility of suffering just their second Champions League exit in 12 games.
When Lazio appeared to be a threat on the break early in the match, you could feel the stress in the Bayern players. Their greatest opportunity came from Ciro Immobile’s header, but he missed the mark with the goal at his disposal.
A minute after the blatant miss, Kane made amends by scoring his first goal in the competition’s knockout stage in five years with a diving header that turned Raphael Guerreiro’s miskick.
The turnaround for Bayern was completed when Thomas Muller headed in a Matthijs de Ligt volley on the stroke of halftime. Jamal Musiala came close to adding another seconds later, but his dipping drive went just wide of the mark.
Following the interval, Kane put an end to any prospects of a Lazio rally when he scored on a rebound after Leroy Sane’s attempt was deflected into his path.
Muller nearly scored a second goal for Bayern as they looked for a fourth, but Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel deflected his effort onto the post.
The Bundesliga champions, who have now advanced to the final eight in 12 of the previous 13 seasons, put some mediocre form behind them with a comfortable game-ending performance.
HARRY KANE, ‘We can change momentum of season’
“Today’s game was crucial for us. This season has been challenging, in part because of what Bayer Leverkusen is doing. Since they haven’t lost yet, our season appears a little worse than it is.
“This is a significant evening. It has the potential to completely alter the season’s momentum.
We were going through a terrible time and trailing 1-0, so it was fantastic for me to score a couple of goals and for the team to come out and play the way they did. “Hopefully I can take that into the games ahead and the team as well.”
Kane’s Amazing Stats
As of right moment, only Wayne Rooney (30) has scored more goals in the Champions League than Kane has.
With nine goals and three assists in the competition this season, he also leads all players in both goals and assists.
Kane has surpassed his total from 49 games with Tottenham Hotspur last season (32) with 33 goals in 33 outings for Bayern in all competitions this season.
With 41 goals this season (33 goals, 8 assists), Kane has been involved in more goals than any other player in the main five leagues in Europe.
