ROME • Holders Bayern Munich brushed off their recent poor domestic form by throwing down a Champions League marker with an emphatic 4-1 last-16, first-leg win at Lazio on Tuesday to move closer towards the quarter-finals.
Despite dropping five points in the Bundesliga last week and bringing a depleted squad to Rome - Corentin Tolisso, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller and Benjamin Pavard were all out - the visitors needed less than nine minutes to breach Lazio's defence.
Robert Lewandowski gave the world club champions an early lead to surpass Real Madrid great Raul and become the Champions League's third-highest goalscorer on 72 strikes, behind the 134 goals netted by Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi, who has 119.
German Jamal Musiala, who turns 18 tomorrow, then grabbed his maiden Champions League goal on just his fourth appearance in Europe to become the second-youngest player to score in the knockout stage after Bojan Krkic did so for Barcelona in 2007-08.
Leroy Sane's strike gave Bayern a three-goal half-time cushion at the Stadio Olimpico before Francesco Acerbi scored an own goal just after the break.
Joaquin Correa pulled a goal back early in the second half to give the scoreline some respectability for Lazio.
However, Bayern are now unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League games - 17 have been victories - and the reverse fixture on March 17 appears to be a mere formality.
"We were aggressive from the start and went full throttle," Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka said, after making his first appearance since testing positive for Covid-19 ahead of the Club World Cup earlier this month.
"I am happy to have played in such an awesome game after a difficult few weeks. That was important after we had often been caught napping (in recent games).
"Things worked well, that was a first good step."
Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi, whose side suffered their second-heaviest home defeat in Europe after the 4-0 thrashing by Chelsea in 2003-04, could only rue the defensive naivety on display.
"Bayern are the world champions," he said. "They definitely did not need our mistakes to make it even easier for them."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
