Kane at the double as Bayern bounce back against Lazio to reach quarters

Instinctive goals from Harry Kane and Thomas Muller saw Bayern Munich overcome a first-leg deficit and beat Lazio 3-1 on aggregate to advance to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Lazio had started the game in an assured fashion and were frustrating Bayern, but when Ciro Immobile headed a difficult but close-range chance wide, it was hard not to think the moment may come back to haunt the visitors.

Just two minutes later it did, as Kane opportunistically headed in to level the tie, and Bayern had an outright lead before the break as Muller diverted Matthijs de Ligt’s thunderous volley into the goal.

Kane scored his second in the second half – tapping in a rebound – to allow Bayern to breathe easy, with Lazio never looking like getting back in the tie once they went behind on aggregate.

Victory means Bayern have reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 12 of the last 13 seasons and eases the pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel, who is leaving in the summer but had been rumoured to face an immediate firing should the German giants have failed to advance.

Lazio have still never won a knockout tie in the Champions League and exited rather meekly, without having a shot on target.

Talking point – Bayern show they are still a force to be reckoned with

Bayern Munich entered this game as a team in crisis, with that crisis in danger of spiralling with an early Champions League exit. They leave it Champions League quarter-finalists, once again, and having served a reminder of the quality they still possess.

That is individual quality more than collective – the goals were more about Kane and Muller’s predatory instincts than any great team moves – but it is nonetheless quality which can hurt sides, just as it did Lazio.

The Italian side have never won a knockout tie in the Champions League, so it’s important not to get carried away about Bayern being all the way back. Yet reports of their demise may have been exaggerated.

Player of the match – Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

It was his expert movement which created the first goal, then Muller was in the right place at the right time to score the all-important second. Muller personified the know-how and clinical finishing which got Bayern through this tie.

Player ratings

Bayern Munich: Neuer 6, Kimmich 5, Dier 6, De Ligt 7, Guerreiro 6, Pavlovic 7, Goretzka 6, Sane 6, Muller 8, Musiala 7, Kane 8. Subs: Tel 5, Davies 5, Laimer n/a, Gnabry n/a.

Lazio: Provedel 7, Marusic 5, Gila 5, Romagnoli 5, Pellegrini 5, Guendouzi 6, Vecino 5, Alberto 6, Zaccagni 5, Anderson 5, Immobile 5. Subs: Cataldi 4, Isaksen 5, Castellanos 4, Pedro 4, Kamada n/a.

Match highlights

BIG CHANCE! 37′ – A deflected cross finds its way to Immobile, unmarked at the back post, but he heads down and wide. Immobile had little time to adjust to the flight of the ball, but that’s still a chance he would expect to bury.

GOAL! BAYERN MUNICH 1-0 LAZIO (KANE) 39′ – Bayern have their goal! It all comes from Muller making a good run behind the defence and heading back into the danger area. Guerreiro scuffs a shot off the knockdown, but the ball runs into Kane’s path and he heads home.

GOAL! BAYERN MUNICH 2-0 LAZIO (MULLER) 45+2 ‘ – What a goal! A Bayern corner is only semi-cleared, a backpeddling De Ligt thrashes a volley back at goal and it flies in! De Ligt peels away in celebration but so does Muller, for he got the most deft of touches off his head to ensure it went in – Muller’s goal.

GOAL! BAYERN MUNICH 3-0 LAZIO (KANE) 66′ – Kane scores again and that is surely game over! Sane cuts in from the left off a sustained spell of Bayern possession, shoots and Provedel parries the shot but only into the path of Kane, who taps in.

OFF THE POST! 71’ – Musiala spins his marker, races forward and plays in Muller, on the right, who slams a shot off the post via a fingertip save from Provedel.

Key stats