Bayern eases past Lazio to reach quarter-finals
Bayern Munich coasted into the Champions League quarter-finals on Thursday (AEDT), completing a 6-2 aggregate victory over Lazio with a 2-1 second-leg win at the Allianz Arena.
The holder was in complete command following a 4-1 first-leg triumph in Rome, and a highly improbable comeback from the Serie A side never looked like coming to pass.
Instead, it was another night that belonged to Bayern talisman Robert Lewandowski, whose 39th goal of the season came via a 33rd-minute penalty.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting doubled the lead in the 73rd minute before Marco Parolo belatedly gave Lazio something to celebrate.
While Bayern will need to be more convincing if it is to retain the title, the several other gears they may need to go to in the latter stages were never required here.
Leroy Sane drifted an effort narrowly wide of the right-hand post in the 13th minute in what served as the best chance of the first half until Vedat Muriqi pulled down Leon Goretzka while defending a corner.
Istvan Kovacs pointed to the spot and Lewandowski made no mistake with a stuttered run-up, rattling the ball into the bottom-left corner.
Another defensive lapse from Lazio almost provided a second for Lewandowski, but his near-post effort was repelled by Pepe Reina.
Reina could do nothing as Choupo-Moting lofted a composed finish over him after being played through by David Alaba to add gloss to an already emphatic aggregate scoreline, with Lazio flattered by their consolation when substitute Parolo netted a far-post header from Andreas Pereira's free-kick.