In a thrilling Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash on Wednesday, Lazio secured a 1-0 victory over 10-man Bayern Munich at their home ground.
The hosts were able to take the lead in the 69th minute through a penalty scored by Ciro Immobile.
The penalty was awarded following a clumsy challenge by Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano on Gustav Isaksen, which resulted in a straight red card for the French international.
The disciplined Lazio team was able to stifle Bayern’s attacks throughout the match, with the German side failing to get even a single effort on target.
The Bavarians, who were the favourites going into the game, were looking to bounce back from their 3-0 Bundesliga loss to leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, which left them five points off the top.
However, with their second straight defeat and failing to score in their last two games, the pressure is now piling on coach Thomas Tuchel and his team.
Bayern created early chances for Joshua Kimmich and Harry Kane, both of which narrowly missed the target.
Lazio responded with a fierce Luis Alberto strike that flew wide of Manuel Neuer’s goal.
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The tempo gradually dropped, and Bayern struggled with the disciplined Italian backline.
The Germans had to wait until the 40th minute to threaten again when Jamal Musiala fired over the bar from close range.
At the start of the second half, Lazio should have taken the lead when Isaksen had only Manuel Neuer to beat, but the keeper stood his ground and blocked his shot.
However, Isaksen won a penalty after Immobile passed to him in the box, and Upamecano arrived late, stepping on his ankle.
Immobile kept his cool and sent Neuer the wrong way to give Maurizio Sarri’s team the advantage going into the return leg in Munich on March 5.
“We worked and prepared for this match to have a say in it,” said Immobile.
“I was convinced that the team would put everything out there. We had some opportunities and we had to be good at exploiting them ahead of the return match, and we did just that.”
Meanwhile, Tuchel played down concerns about his situation, saying, “Worried about my future? No, I am not.”
