Ciro Immobile gave Lazio a slender lead in their Champions League last 16 tie with under-fire Bayern Munich after netting the only goal in a 1-0 win in Wednesday’s first leg.
Italy forward Immobile slotted home the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 69th minute at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to pile pressure on Bundesliga champions Bayern.
The spot-kick was won by Gustav Isaksen who was clattered by Dayot Upamecano with a rash tackle which earned the France defender a red card and left Bayern a man down for the final 20 minutes.
Immobile’s strike came days after he netted his 200th Serie A goal and allowed a raucous Lazio home crowd to dream of a first quarter-final in Europe’s top competition in 24 years.
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Lazio won the Italian title in 2000, when they fell to Valencia in the last eight, and in order to emulate that star-studded team Maurizio Sarri’s side still need to hold out in Bavaria next month.
It would be an upset, given Lazio sit just seventh in Italy’s Serie A.
However Bayern are a club in a slump and a toothless display in the Italian capital will do nothing to help embattled coach Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel is under pressure as Wednesday’s defeat came after a 3-0 thumping at Bayer Leverkusen which left Bayern five points off the pace in the German title race.
The Champions League looked like Bayern’s last chance at a trophy this season but Immobile put those hopes in serious doubt.
MBAPPE STRIKES AS PSG LOOK TO END CURSE
Kylian Mbappe scored the opener as Paris Saint-Germain took a big step towards reaching the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday.
The mediocrity of PSG’s first-half performance at the Parc des Princes may have had their supporters fearing another in a long line of disappointing results down the years in the Champions League knockout stages.
But Mbappe, who is expected to leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires, broke the deadlock from close range just before the hour mark.
Bradley Barcola’s well-taken goal in the 70th minute then made it 2-0 to give the French champions a comfortable cushion to take to Spain for the return early next month.
“We were in great difficulty in the first half but we knew that would be the case,” PSG captain Marquinhos told broadcaster Canal Plus.
“The coach gave us an earbashing at halftime and I think that helped because the attitude was much better in the second half.
“The first part of the job is done. We know how important it is to win at home but it is not finished. We need to keep the same mindset between now and then, keep playing well in the league and then go there and play well to secure our qualification.”
There was big pressure on PSG coming into this tie after they had gone out in the last 16 of the Champions League in five of the last seven seasons.
Another early exit from the competition this season would be a monumental setback for the Qatar-owned club, especially as Real Sociedad were appearing in their first Champions League knockout tie in two decades.
They also made the trip to Paris having failed to score a goal while failing to win any of their last four games in all competitions.
In addition to that, they were missing captain and top scorer Mikel Oyarzabal as he recovers from injury.
PSG, who gave a Champions League bow at left-back to 20-year-old Brazilian January signing Lucas Beraldo, were aiming to extend a run of 16 games unbeaten in all competitions stretching back to early November.
PSG eventually broke the deadlock on 58 minutes as Ousmane Dembele’s corner from the right was helped on by Marquinhos towards the back post where Mbappe turned it in.
It was a 31st goal of the campaign in all competitions, and a fourth in the Champions League, for the France captain who is widely tipped to move to Real Madrid after this season.
Luis Enrique’s side did find the net again 20 minutes from the end when Barcola collected a ball on the left, skipped away from Hamari Traore on his way into box and then slotted the ball past Remiro for his first ever Champions League goal.
La Real could not find a way back into the game as their run without a goal stretched to five matches.
They now have something of a mountain to climb when they entertain PSG in San Sebastian on March 5, although supporters of the French side will remain wary given the way they have collapsed at this stage of the competition in recent years against Barcelona and Madrid, among others.
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