Friday 39 Sports Friday, March 19, 2021 Bayern down Lazio to stroll into Champions League quarter-finals MUNICH: Holders Bayern Munich cruised into zaghi opted to rest top-scorer Ciro Immobile, the Champions League quarter-finals as a 2-1 with the 1.94m-tall Vedat Muriqi starting up win over Lazio in Wednesday’s last-16 second front. Bayern had captain and Germany goal- leg sealed a 6-2 aggregate victory. Robert keeper Manuel Neuer sidelined by a cold as un- Lewandowski converted a penalty before a deft derstudy Alexander Nuebel made only his third chip from his second-half replacement Eric start of the season. Maxim Choupo-Moting doubled the advantage Bayern were awarded a penalty on 31 minutes on the night. when Muriqi brought Leon Goretzka down in Lazio grabbed a consolation when Marco the area. After a VAR review, Lewandowski Parolo was left unmarked to head in a late free- smashed in the resulting spot-kick. It was the kick from close range. “The win is very impor- Poland star’s 39th goal in all competitions this tant to us. It’s in our DNA that we want to win season and fifth in the Champions League. every game,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich Lewandowski hit the post with Lazio goal- told Sky. “We played confidently, even if it wasn’t keeper Pepe Reina beaten on 67 minutes. It was a brilliant performance and it was annoying to one of his last involvements as he and Thomas concede a goal.” Mueller made way for Choupo-Moting and 18- Their passage into the last eight takes Bayern year-old Jamal Musiala. past Barcelona’s tally of 18 Champions League Less than two minutes later, David Alaba quarter-final appearances since the competition slid a pass through for Choupo-Moting to was rebranded from the European Cup. Snow sprint onto and flick a shot over Reina. Bayern fell during the game at the Allianz Arena, but were guilty of sloppy defending eight minutes Bayern made light work of the wintry conditions. from the final whistle when Andreas Pereira’s They extended their unbeaten run in the free-kick was headed home by Muriqi’s re- Champions League to 19 games over two years. placement Parolo. “We needed a good performance and we bow Serge Gnabry fired wide late on as Bayern kept MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s German midfielder Serge Gnabry (center) gets past Lazio’s Argentine mid- out of the competition with a positive game,” Lazio under pressure. Lazio defender Francesco fielder Gonzalo Escalante (left) and Lazio’s Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic during the UEFA Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi told Sky. “Some Acerbi said the Italians played better than in their Champions League Last-16, second leg football match FC Bayern Munich v Lazio in Munich, southern teams are unplayable: Bayern are one of them.” heavy first-leg defeat, but admitted that “Bayern are Germany on Wednesday. —AFP With his side trailing 4-1 from the first leg, In- probably the best in the world”. —AFP talised by Tuchel, Chelsea have conceded just two goals in Chelsea cruise his brief reign and are on a run of six consecutive clean sheets in all competitions. “A very good performance, unbe- lievable effort. I could feel we totally wanted it,” Tuchel said. into Champions “We enjoyed the battle. The guys were totally on and sharp. We were super hungry to go through.” League quarters Leading Chelsea into the last eight for the first time since 2014 is another feather in Tuchel’s cap as the German eyes a return to the Champions League final following his defeat LONDON: Thomas Tuchel said “super hungry” Chelsea with Paris Saint-Germain against Bayern Munich last season. have their sights set on reaching the Champions League final “They play with a special bond. Fixtures and results like after Hakim Ziyech ended his goal drought to inspire a 2-0 this give you a certain edge to achieve special things. I’m win against Atletico Madrid in the last-16 second leg on pretty sure no-one wants to play against us,” Tuchel said. Wednesday. Morocco forward Ziyech grabbed his first goal “Quarter-final means there’s only four games (until the final). since October to put the hosts ahead in the first half at It’s a big step and feels excellent.” Stamford Bridge. Chelsea, Champions League winners for the only time in Emerson came off the bench to score the late goal that 2012, had been eliminated in the first knockout stage in their LONDON: Chelsea’s Spanish defender Marcos Alonso (left) vies with Atletico Madrid’s Uruguayan defender Jose Gimenez during the UEFA Champions League sealed a comfortable 3-0 aggregate victory over the lack- last four appearances. But they never looked in danger of lustre La Liga leaders. Adding to Atletico’s misery, Stefan round of 16 second leg football match between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid at losing the 1-0 lead given to them by Olivier Giroud’s over- Stamford Bridge in London on Wednesday. —AFP Savic was sent off in the closing stages for elbowing Antonio head kick in the first leg in Bucharest. Rudiger in the stomach. While Chelsea were the superior side for long periods, Azpilicueta escape Breaking at pace after Werner blocked Kieran Trippier’s Atletico could justifiably claim they should have had penalty Crucially, Azpilicueta escaped without punishment when cross, Kai Havertz fed his team-mate on the left flank. for Cesar Azpilicueta’s challenge on Yannick Carrasco when the defender’s under-hit back-pass allowed Carrasco to nip Werner accelerated away from the out-of-position Atletico the score was still 0-0. Tuchel admitted it could have been ahead of him in the penalty area. Azpilicueta responded with defence before clipping a perfectly-weighted pass into a penalty, saying: “Azpi got a bit frightened because his ball a panicked tug that sent Carrasco tumbling but Atletico’s Ziyech’s path. was short, I was a bit frightened as well.” penalty appeal was controversially rejected by referee Unmarked 10 yards from goal, Ziyech finished Chelsea’s But Atletico boss Diego Simeone added: “We are not Daniele Orsato, with VAR bizarrely opting not to intervene. thrust with a clinical strike. Savic’s frustration boiled over in looking for excuses. We were beaten by a better team. We Simeone’s anger only increased as Chelsea made the most the 81st minute as he was dismissed for a needless elbow tried to press them up the field, but couldn’t attack the way of their good fortune to take the lead in the 34th minute. that drew a theatrical fall from Rudiger. we like.” That was the only major scare for Chelsea as they Timo Werner now has just two goals in his last 27 appear- With Chelsea’s injured defender Thiago Silva roaring on extended their unbeaten run to 13 matches since Tuchel re- ances for Chelsea. But Tuchel backed Werner to come good Emerson from the stands, the left-back blasted home from placed the sacked Frank Lampard in January. this week and the Germany forward repaid his manager’s Christian Pulisic’s pass in stoppage-time, sparking a wild Tuchel boasts the longest ever unbeaten start by a faith with a strong performance capped by the key contri- celebration that encapsulated the feel-good factor fuelling Chelsea boss after moving past Luiz Felipe Scolari. Revi- bution to Ziyech’s opener. the Blues at present. —AFP.