Jamal Musiala remembers this ghost game evening very fondly. When FC Bayern met Lazio Rome for the first time in the Champions League three years ago, the Munich football jewel wrote club history.
In the Stadio Olimpico, which was almost empty due to Corona, the offensive player, who was called up in the starting line-up by then coach Hansi Flick, scored 2-0 in the 4-1 win in the first leg of the round of 16 at the age of 17 years and 363 days. This made him the youngest Bayern goalscorer in the premier class to date.
“It was a really cool game”
Musiala described his memories of February 23, 2021 on the German record champions’ website before another business trip to Rome this Tuesday. “It was a really cool game for me. I had a lot of fun and was able to score my first Champions League goal. It was a knockout game, definitely one of the most important games I’ve played up to that point.” From 16 meters, Musiala completed a move past Alphonso Davies and Leon Goretzka with a well-placed low shot into the left corner of the goal.
After “a night to remember,” Musiala also made the DFB happy. Because the day after his international debut goal, the youngster announced his decision to join the German national team – and against a future in the England jersey. “In the end I listened to my feeling,” Musiala said at the time.
She had to focus on them
Now he is looking forward to returning to a full Olympic Stadium in Rome on Wednesday (9 p.m./DAZN). “I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere and have heard a lot about it,” said the 20-year-old about the Roman cauldron. And Musiala will also be in focus again after the entire Munich offensive around him, striker Harry Kane and Leroy Sané failed in the 3-0 defeat in the top Bundesliga game against Bayer Leverkusen.
Coach Thomas Tuchel missed lightness and assertiveness. And after a game without any chance of scoring, it was a mystery to him “why we didn’t manage to get Harry into the game.” Kane only had 18 ball contacts, fewer than goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Musiala also failed to put the Englishman in the spotlight.
Musiala has already mentioned possible solutions: “We have to trust our processes, go into one-on-one situations, look for one-twos.” Maybe it will be another Musiala evening. Before his 29th Champions League game he has four goals.
