- Bayern Munich have everything to do at the Allianz after the 1-0 defeat in the first leg against Lazio
- But the former Chelsea and PSG head coach was convinced his job was safe
- Moscow, Madrid and now Leverkusen… we’ve seen this bereft Harry Kane before. He went to Munich for medals – Listen to the It all starts podcast
Thomas Tuchel called out Dayot Upamecano for giving away the penalty that saw Lazio claim their first round of 16 victory against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.
The Bundesliga champions were looking to bounce back quickly from their difficult weekend clash against league leaders Bayer Leverkusen but found themselves unable to get past their hosts in Rome.
After failing to convert on a number of strong first-half chances thanks to Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala, things went from bad to worse for Bayern Munich after the break.
A big challenge from the France international on Lazio’s striker Gustav Isaksen not only saw their opponents awarded a penalty, but Bayern were reduced to 10 men after Upamecano was shown a straight red card.
Ciro Immobile converted the penalty smoothly to send Lazio into the second leg in the Allianz next month with a narrow lead.
Thomas Tuchel cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle in Bayern Munich’s draw with Lazio
The visitors were reduced to 10 men thanks to a wild challenge from Dayot Upamecano on Gustav Isaksen in the penalty area
The loss of the defender and subsequent penalty contributed to Bayern’s defeat on the road
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After the final whistle, the former Chelsea manager stressed that he was ‘frustrated’ with the result and his player’s actions, but retained criticism of the performance of the entire team itself.
“We are frustrated and angry about the defeat,” Tuchel said said. ‘I think we lost the match, but I’m not sure if Lazio won it.
‘We did everything we could to fall behind, make mistakes and lose confidence. (It was) not necessary for Upamecano to go in like that. It’s not wild or intentional, just block the shot.”
As the clock ticked down, Bayern Munich looked increasingly impatient for an equalizer, but it was Isaksen who perhaps had the best chance after the penalty and Lazio were unlucky not to be ahead 2-0.
Tuchel said the defeat was ‘entirely our responsibility’, citing early chances for his side that went unused.
“We started well, had a chance in the first minute and then with Harry Kane and then with Jamal Musiala,” Tuchel continued. ‘We had the match under control in the first half.
‘But in the second our performance inexplicably dropped. We made too many individual mistakes, made our opponents stronger and lost concentration. We’ve lost our rhythm.
‘It was completely our responsibility. We lost a game today that looked like we couldn’t lose in the first half.”
For the second game in a row, Harry Kane was unable to influence his new team’s progress
The former Chelsea head coach was adamant that he was not yet worried about job security
But despite suffering his 10th defeat in his 43 games in charge, Tuchel brushed aside claims his job was in jeopardy.
‘Worried about my future? No, I’m not,” he added.
Before the second leg on home soil in March, Bayern Munich will look to continue their climb to the top of the Bundesliga against the likes of VfL Bochum, Freiburg and RB Leipzig.
The series champions are five points behind Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who are unbeaten since the start of their impressive Bundesliga season.