Kane the fox of the surfaces, the Roman attack is struggling… The tops and flops

By TT-C.

Published yesterday at 11:59 p.m., Updated now

The Bavarian collective shone, the Lazio attackers did not find each other. REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

Bayern Munich delivered a performance close to its standards of recent years to overthrow Lazio Rome (3-0, after their 1-0 first-leg defeat) and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Tops

Bavarian control at all times

Even though Harry Kane scored two goals, it is difficult to single out the performance of a single player in this Bavarian victory. All Bayern Munich players delivered a masterful performance, from defense to attack, including midfield (Neuer had little work in his goal). Holding possession throughout the entire match, Thomas Tuchel’s men showed disconcerting accuracy in their passes and in their choices, although they faltered slightly in the last gesture.

Harry Kane as a surface fox

The English striker from Bayern Munich, who is still chasing a first trophy at 30, surprised the Roman defense twice. Although he did not touch a countless number of balls, 31 to be precise, the former Tottenham player gave Ivan Provedel no chance on his two attempts on target. Well placed after a crushed pass from Raphaël Guerreiro (38th), he was once again in the right place at the right time after a rejected strike from Leroy Sané (66th), to deal the final blow to Maurizio Sarri and his players.

Matthijs De Ligt, warrior and opportunist

The Dutch central defender of Bayern Munich formed a real iron curtain with Eric Dier, preventing the Italian attackers from worrying Manuel Neuer. Intractable in defense and excellent at restarting (118 balls hit, 94.3% successful passes), the former Juventus player, who will celebrate his 25th birthday next August, behaved like a boss, like a warrior, image of his perfectly executed tackle in the 62nd minute. He is also at the origin of a delicious half-volley, taken by Thomas Müller on the second Bavarian goal (45th + 2).

Flops

Felipe Anderson didn’t have the flame

Impactful and particularly interesting in the first leg, the 30-year-old Brazilian winger did nothing in attack this Tuesday evening. Well taken by Raphaël Guerreiro and especially Leon Goretzka – excellent in midfield during this meeting – Felipe Anderson still touched 47 balls (i.e. more than his offensive friends), but did not attempt the slightest shot in this encounter. Replaced by Pedro in the 75th.

Ciro Immobile little found

The Italian striker, responsible for the only goal scored in the first leg (from a penalty), was invisible this Tuesday, until he threw himself to the ground after contact with De Ligt in the German area (52nd) . With 27 balls touched, the Italian striker fired twice, without hitting the target. He only touched 27 small balls in this meeting, and lost three of the four duels he played.

Luis Alberto not very creative

The experienced Spanish player, at Lazio since 2016, did not play as key a role as usual in the Roman offensives. Positioned on the left of a midfield three beaten by Leon Goretzka, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Jamal Musiala, Alberto touched 57 balls and lost six of his eight contested duels. He also lost 16 balls (!), and his two attempts neither found the target nor worried Neuer. A match to forget for Luis Alberto.