Mattia Zaccagni concedes that Lazio departs Munich with remorse following their elimination from the Champions League by Bayern. He acknowledges the team’s failure to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the first half.
Entering the Allianz Arena with a 1-0 lead from the first leg courtesy of a Ciro Immobile penalty, Lazio’s prospects seemed promising. However, Immobile’s missed diving header at the back post, followed closely by Harry Kane’s goal for Bayern, appeared to deflate the team’s morale.
“We are disappointed, because we should’ve made more of the chances we created in the first half. Unfortunately, they then scored, we lost confidence and lost this opportunity too,” Zaccagni told Mediaset.
“Football is made up of incidents. We had the chances to go in front when it was 0-0 and they didn’t go our way.”
Thomas Muller scored a goal for Bayern Munich by redirecting a volley from Matthijs de Ligt during a corner, making it 2-0. Later, Harry Kane added another goal after the halftime break, seizing the opportunity from Ivan Provedel’s save on Leroy Sane’s shot.
Despite their efforts, Lazio couldn’t overturn the scoreline, missing out on advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2000. Their disappointment stemmed from the fact that they failed to register a single shot on target during the match in Munich.
With their European hopes dashed, Lazio’s immediate focus must be on climbing the Serie A standings to secure a place in at least the Europa League. Alternatively, they can target the Coppa Italia, as they are set to face Juventus in the two-legged semi-final scheduled for April.
“We must try to remain united, look towards the next game on Monday and bring the win home.”
The upcoming Serie A fixture is scheduled against Udinese on Monday, March 11th.
In another match, Paris Saint-Germain, led by Gianluigi Donnarumma, emerged victorious with a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad. The victory secured their spot in the quarter-finals with a 4-1 aggregate score, courtesy of a double by Kylian Mbappé.