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The Stadio Olimpico erupted on Wednesday night in celebration of Ciro Immobile’s winner from the 12-yard spot against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League (UCL). It was a lacklustre performance all round for the Bundesliga champions, managing zero shots on target throughout the match, with Upamecano’s red card being the nail in the coffin in what was a night to forget for Thomas Tuchel and his players, undoubtedly the favourites going into the fixture.
Has anyone seen Harry Kane?
Bayern’s golden number 9 went missing on his UCL knockout stage debut for Bayern against a well-structured Lazio defence that gave very little away. In spite of his first appearance where they suffered a 3-0 loss to RB Leipzig in the supercup, the English striker has gotten off to a flying start in Germany, scoring 28 goals so far in all competitions this season. However, Kane’s trophy-less woes continue as it looks like his team may just be packing their bags for an early exit from the Champions League round of 16. To make matters worse, Bayern are currently sat 8 points behind Leverkusen in the league table, also to whom they suffered a 3-0 loss preceding the loss against Lazio.
Tuchel’s future in jeopardy
It’s safe to say it hasn’t been an easy run for Thomas Tuchel at Bayern so far. Since joining the German outlet in 2023, he suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Manchester City in last season’s UCL quarter-final, followed by a tight Bundesliga title race (where he managed to come out on top); his remaining time at the club lies in danger though as he is now on track for what will potentially be their worst season in over a decade, with a Bundesliga title looking very unlikely as per first-place Leverkusen’s impressive unbeaten record. It will be the first time Bayern Munich fail to claim the trophy since 2013.
As the biggest club competition in the world has shown, time and time again, it is too early to count the men in red out just yet, with a return leg at the Allianz Arena looming in the distance. It will be a tough test for Sarri and his team to keep them at bay and protect their 1-0 lead on aggregate, but perhaps an even tougher one for Bayern who will need to pick up their form and get back to winning ways.
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