Kane nets double as Bayern ease into Champions League last eight with win over Lazio
Bayern’s Bundesliga title hopes all but disintegrated in the three weeks following their narrow first-leg defeat, and rowdy fans inside the Allianz Arena demanded an emphatic response against Lazio for fear of finishing 2023/24 without a single trophy.
They were almost left chasing a two-goal deficit when Mattia Zaccagni’s cross fell to Ciro Immobile at the back post, but the Italian headed wide with the net gaping.
A couple of early sighters aside, the hosts didn’t truly breach Lazio’s well-drilled defence until minutes before the interval.
Kane was the man for the job, reacting quickly to nod Raphael Guerreiro’s scruffy cross towards Ivan Provedel as a strong hand from the goalkeeper failed to prevent the ball from trickling into the net.
Kane’s opener sparked an instant momentum change, and Bayern were soon ahead on aggregate for the first time when Matthijs de Ligt’s spectacular volley was glanced in by Thomas Muller from point-blank range.
It was one-way traffic in the second period as Bayern engaged cruise control on home turf, and Kane struck again shortly after the hour mark, picking up an easy rebound after Leroy Sane’s shot was palmed away by Provedel to notch his 33rd goal of the campaign and his sixth in the UCL, making him the competition’s joint-top-scorer this season.
Muller nearly added gloss to the scoreline moments later after being slid through by Jamal Musiala, but the veteran’s near-post effort, which would have crowned a top performance, was saved onto the woodwork.
Manager Thomas Tuchel now faces an anxious 10-day wait to discover Bayern’s quarter-final opponents as he bids to make a statement before vacating his post in the summer.
The outlook is comparatively bleak for Lazio, who have only made the knockout stages twice in the past 24 years, with Sarri’s side ninth in Serie A and miles off the top-four pace.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
