Bayern boss Flick: We took a giant step towards Champions League quarter-finals

Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick said the Champions League holders took a giant step towards the quarter-finals following their 4-1 demolition of Lazio.

It was one-way traffic in Rome, where Bayern made light work of hosts Lazio in the opening leg of the last-16 tie on Tuesday.

Robert Lewandowski, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane were on target in the opening 45 minutes before Lazio’s Francesco Acerbi turned the ball into his own net within two minutes of the second-half restart.

Joaquin Correa pulled a goal back for Lazio two minutes later, but Bundesliga champions Bayern are in complete control of the knockout clash.

17 – Jamal Musiala – age 17 years and 363 days – is now the youngest player to ever score a goal for a German club in the #ChampionsLeague. Youngster. #LAZFCB @FCBayernEN pic.twitter.com/mBAcq4RXlZ

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) February 23, 2021

Bayern are now unbeaten in their last 18 Champions League games (W17 D1) – the fourth-longest such streak in the competition’s history and the longest since a run of 25 for Manchester United in May 2009.

“Everyone lived up to expectations,” Flick said post-match. “We turned in a very good team performance.

“We wanted to put our opponents under pressure from the start, it worked out well. We often won the ball high up the field, created chances and made the most of them. We’re very pleased today.

“We want to advance to the quarter-finals, and today we took a giant stride towards our goal. But there’s still a second match to play.”

Musiala – just the second 17-year-old to start a Champions League knockout fixture for Bayern – enjoyed a memorable outing in the Italian capital, where he doubled the lead after Lewandowski’s opener.

A night to remember pic.twitter.com/bueo1REpvN

— Jamal Musiala (@JamalMusiala) February 23, 2021

At 17 years and 363 days, Musiala became the youngest Englishman to score in the Champions League.

He also became the second-youngest player to score in the knockout stages of the Champions League, after Bojan (17 years and 217 days) netted for Barcelona against Schalke in the quarter-finals in 2007-08.

“We are very happy that he produced a good performance just like the whole team. The goal shows what he’s about. He is very good when he has the ball and can play well between the lines,” Flick added.

“He has a good feeling for open space on the pitch. He did well, just like the other players. We are happy with his goal and satisfied with his performance.”