Maurizio Sarri has resigned as Lazio head coach, with Giovanni Martusciello appointed interim boss.

Former Chelsea boss Sarri took charge of the Rome club in 2021 and guided them to the runners-up spot in Serie A last season – their highest placing since they won the title in 2000.

But after four straight defeats in all competitions and five losses in their last six games, the 65-year-old has stepped down.

“SS Lazio announces that Maurizio Sarri has resigned as head coach of the first team,” a Lazio statement read.

“The club would like to thank the coach for his achievements and for the work he has done, wishing him the best of luck in his personal and professional life.

“At the same time, the club announces that it has decided to entrust the technical guidance to Giovanni Martusciello.”

Speculation over Sarri’s future had been mounting during Lazio’s poor recent run, which has left them in ninth place the the table, and in a statement last week the club said “all the rumours that would link other coaches to S.S. Lazio are devoid of any foundation”.

Sarri won the Europa League with Chelsea during his one season in charge of the English club in 2018-19 and also led them to third in the Premier League and the League Cup final.

He steered Juventus to the Serie A title in 2019-20 and twice oversaw second-placed finishes for Napoli during his three years in charge of them.

Harry Kane fired Bayern Munich into the quarter-finals of the Champions League as the German side overturned a first-leg deficit against Lazio with a 3-0 win at the Allianz Arena.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Rome, Bayern were kept out until Kane headed home from close range – his 50th goal in European competition.

Thomas Muller doubled the lead on the night with another header seconds before the break as Matthijs de Ligt’s volley flashed across the six-yard area.

Lazio’s best chance had fallen to Ciro Immobile, their spot-kick scorer from the first game, just moments before Kane had levelled the tie.

But Immobile planted his header wide from six yards when it appeared easier to score.

Bayern sealed their progress into the last eight of a competition they have won six times after 66 minutes.

Leroy Sane’s shot was parried into the path of Kane, who had to adjust his feet sharply to score his second on the night and 33rd Bayern goal in as many appearances.

Kylian Mbappe’s brace saw Paris St Germain cruise into the quarter-finals, with a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad completing a 4-1 aggregate victory.

With a 2-0 lead in their pocket from the first leg, PSG were comfortable throughout.

Mbappe, the top scorer across Europe’s top five leagues so far this season, offered an early warning sign when he turned a shot narrowly over the bar from Fabian Ruiz’s cut-back in the fifth minute.

PSG were the dominant force and went ahead after 15 minutes through Mbappe’s fifth Champions League goal of the season, bending the ball across goal and inside the far post.

Mbappe punished Sociedad again 11 minutes into the second half, bursting on to Lee Kang-in’s through ball and whipping the ball in majestically at the near post. Mikel Merino scored a consolation for Sociedad a minute from time.

Harry Kane reached his half-century of European goals with an Allianz Arena double as Bayern Munich turned around their Champions League tie against Lazio to reach the last eight of the competition.

Kane scored twice and Thomas Muller added another to overturn Lazio’s first-leg lead in style and give Bayern a comfortable 3-0 victory in Bavaria.

Lazio’s resistance lasted 38 minutes, but there was only one outcome after Kane levelled the tie on aggregate with his 50th goal in European competition.

Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel sprang a surprise before kick-off by preferring England defender Eric Dier at centre-back to big-money summer purchase Kim Min-jae.

Lazio were aiming to reach a Champions League quarter-final for the first time since 2000 and had the first sight of goal inside five minutes, Matteo Guendouzi firing wide after being set up by Felipe Anderson.

But the pattern of the game was soon set as Bayern dominated possession, territory and chances before an expectant home crowd.

Leroy Sane shot straight at Ivan Provedel in the Lazio goal and Mario Gila stayed alert to block Jamal Musiala from 12 yards.

Provedel batted away Musiala’s firm effort and Gila was in the right place to deflect Kane’s effort wide.

Lazio bodies got in the way again to deny Musiala and Raphael Guerreiro, and Dier headed over Joshua Kimmich’s cross.

It had been one-way traffic for over half-an-hour, but Lazio should have doubled their aggregate lead eight minutes before the break.

Matthijs de Ligt inadvertently flicked Mattia Zaccagni’s cross into the path of Ciro Immobile but the Italy striker planted his header wide from six yards.

It was to prove a very costly miss as Kane instantly punished the Italians.

Muller headed down into a crowded goalmouth, Guerreiro’s mishit effort bounced into the ground, and Kane reacted first with a stooping header that Provedel got in the way of but could not stop.

Musiala sent a close-range opportunity wide and Bayern seized the lead in the tie for the first time in the second minute of stoppage time.

Immobile hoped he had diverted Guerreiro’s corner out of danger, but De Ligt sent back a ferocious volley which Muller headed home from inside the six-yard box.

Lazio had a penalty claim when Immobile went down under De Ligt’s challenge at the start of the second half.

But the Dutch defender appeared to make contact with the ball and normal order was quickly restored as Lazio hopes faded once and for all.

Provedel pushed out Sane’s shot and England captain Kane adjusted his feet sharply to plunder the rebound for his 33rd goal in as many Bayern games.

Muller hit a post as Bayern sought to add extra gloss, but their passage into the last eight had been confirmed long before the final whistle.

Thomas Tuchel is not contemplating whether Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Lazio could be his last in charge of Bayern Munich.

It was announced last month that Tuchel would leave Bayern at the end of the season, but speculation over his future continues after Bayer Leverkusen opened up a 10-point lead at the Bundesliga summit over the weekend.

Bayern go into Tuesday’s last-16 second leg trailing 1-0 from the first meeting in Rome and failure to progress would further increase the scrutiny on their German boss.

Asked if it could be a knock-out game for him, Tuchel told a press conference: “Not from my side. Maybe from other sides but what we did discuss and decided is what we communicated on.

“I think there is no one else that wants to win this game more than myself.”

Given Leverkusen’s healthy advantage in the title race, the Champions League appears Bayern’s most likely chance to win silverware this season.

Ex-Chelsea manager Tuchel acknowledged the importance of this fixture, but hopes it can inspire his out-of-form team, who dropped two more points at Freiburg on Friday.

“I think everyone is aware that it is important and obviously in a situation like that, a certain amount of pressure is to be expected,” Tuchel admitted.

“With the first-leg result, it is not going to be super easy. The pressure is normal and the pressure is needed to bring special performances.

“Obviously the situation is clear. We need to win with two goals more against an Italian team, against a (Maurizio) Sarri team.

“It is about what we can bring to the pitch and the fans are there to support us from the first minute to hopefully create a specific atmosphere that could lead us to win with two goals.”

Bayern will be boosted by the return of Matthijs de Ligt, who missed the 2-2 draw at Freiburg due to a one-match ban.

Dutch defender De Ligt has struggled with a knee injury this season but urged his team-mates to stick together during a difficult period and admitted they must take responsibility for Tuchel’s imminent exit this summer.

 

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De Ligt added: “We players are responsible. We do everything together. When the coach has to go, then we also have to say we didn’t do well.

“We’re in this spell together and have to come out of it together. That’s why tomorrow is an hugely important game.

“Tomorrow is very important for us, for the whole club. We’re in a tough spot in the Bundesliga. The Champions League is also very important for us. We need to be ready.

“If you reach the quarter-finals, it’s good for the whole season, gives you energy. That’s why it’s a very important game for us.”

Lazio had three players sent off as Noah Okafor’s late goal secured a 1-0 win for AC Milan in a chaotic match at the Stadio Olimpico.

Milan grabbed their first win in four matches, a run which has seen their already faint hopes of a title challenge completely fade away, when substitute Okafor finally broke the deadlock three minutes from time.

The match turned in their favour when Lazio’s Luca Pellegrini needlessly got himself sent off with over half an hour still to play.

Lazio lost their heads in stoppage time and finished with eight men after Adam Marusic and Matteo Guendouzi were also dismissed.

Lazio, who travel to Bayern Munich on Tuesday looking to protect their 1-0 lead from the first leg of their Champions League clash, were inches away from taking the lead after 10 minutes.

Felipe Anderson flicked on a Luis Alberto corner and Matias Vecino prodded the ball narrowly wide of the far post.

They were denied a penalty moments later when Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan took a poor touch from a backpass and then wiped out Valentin Castellanos with his follow through, but nothing was given either on the field or in the VAR room.

Milan’s first chance arrived when former Roma right-back Alessandro Florenzi crossed for Olivier Giroud, but the Frenchman’s header was off target.

Giroud should have put the visitors ahead in first-half stoppage time after Christian Pulisic’s drive was pushed over the crossbar by Ivan Provedel.

Theo Hernandez swung in the corner, but Giroud’s header at the far post flew harmlessly over.

Lazio were reduced 10 men just before the hour when Pellegrini, who had been booked seven minutes earlier for a foul on Pulisic, was sent off for blatantly pulling back the former Chelsea man.

Moments later, Giroud played a one-two with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but he could only hit his shot straight at Provedel.

Provedel showed great reactions to get a hand to a Loftus-Cheek volley, before the 10 men had a golden chance to go ahead when substitute Ciro Immobile somehow missed the target from four yards out.

Milan thought they had taken the lead with 13 minutes remaining when Rafael Leao fired home from a tight angle, but a lengthy VAR check ruled the effort out for offside.

The goal came after Provedel made another fine one-handed save to keep out Okafor’s initial drive.

But Lazio could not clear the loose ball and when it fell to Okafor again, the Switzerland international forward lashed it into the net.

The match ended in a farce with both Marusic and Guendouzi sent off at the death as Milan held on for a hard-earned victory.

Stefano Pioli called for his AC Milan side to be more “cynical” in front of goal ahead of their Serie A trip to Lazio as they look to turn the heat up on second-placed Juventus.

Milan were held to a 1-1 home draw by Atalanta in their last fixture – having lost to Monza and Rennes in their previous two matches – leaving them four points behind Juve in the Serie A standings and just five ahead of in-form Bologna in fourth pace.

The Rossoneri will now be eager to get back to winning ways against Lazio on Friday and coach Pioli wants his side’s performance to be consistent, calling for additional cutting edge up front.

“We want to produce the same performance as last week whilst aiming for a different result,” Pioli said on his club’s website.

“We analysed the positives after Atalanta but also tried to understand why we couldn’t score one more than them because we had the chance to. We need to be more cynical”.

Lazio have lost three of their last five Serie A matches, winning the other two, and will also be keen to get back on track after surrendering a half-time lead to lose 2-1 at Fiorentina last time out.

That was the second time in three matches Lazio have ended up empty-handing after taking the lead, and left them eighth in the table, eight points off the top four.

Pioli believes Maurizio Sarri’s “motivated” team will bring the fight to them at the Stadio Olimpico, where Lazio are playing only their second home match in six league outings.

Pioli also ruled out resting any of his players ahead of next week’s Europa League last-16 first leg at home to Sparta Prague.

“They (Lazio) are a team with great quality that comes off the back of an unsatisfactory performance,” said Pioli.

“They will be motivated but can also be thrown off by playing with intensity. The game against Slavia Prague will be very important, we are studying them but are fully focused on Lazio.

“Then we will have an almost full week, there won’t be changes in Rome in order to rest players. I believe that both sides will try to play with different ideas. The midfield battles will be very important”.

While Milan will still hold hope of overhauling Juve in second spot, Pioli concedes that city rivals Inter are unlikely to be caught by any team.

Runaway leaders Inter sit 12 points at the top of the table having won 22 of their 26 matches this season, losing just once and conceding only 12 goals.

Pioli said: “I think that the top spot in the league is decided, Inter are recording incredible numbers as Napoli did last year.

“April 21 (Milan derby) is too far away. We have a big game ahead of us and there are various goals to meet before we think about the derby.”

Ciro Immobile’s second-half penalty earned Lazio a shock 1-0 first-leg win over 10-man Bayern Munich in the Champions League last-16.

Striker Immobile sent Manuel Neuer the wrong way from 12 yards in the 69th minute after Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano was sent off for a late challenge on Gustav Isaksen.

The Bundesliga side, who arrived in Rome on the back of a damaging 3-0 defeat to title rivals Bayer Leverkusen, dominated first-half possession but were unable to capitalise, with Harry Kane largely starved of service.

Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala each went close for the six-time European champions before Immobile’s spot-kick settled the contest to increase pressure on Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel.

Kylian Mbappe set Paris St Germain on course for a 2-0 success over Real Sociedad in Wednesday’s other tie.

The France star opened the scoring in the 58th minute at Parc des Princes by volleying home Marquinhos’ flick on following Ousmane Dembele’s right-wing corner.

Bradley Barcola secured breathing space for the Ligue 1 leaders ahead of the return match on March 5 with his first Champions League goal.

The 21-year-old forward burst past Hamari Traore on the PSG left before poking the ball beyond Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro with 20 minutes remaining.

Harry Kane made little impact as Bayern Munich’s week went from bad to worse following a shock 1-0 loss in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Lazio.

Ciro Immobile’s second-half penalty proved the difference at Stadio Olimpico to pile pressure on Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel on the back of a damaging 3-0 defeat at title rivals Bayer Leverkusen.

England captain Kane, who is one short of reaching 50 club goals in European competition, barely touched the ball during a tight battle between two former Chelsea managers in the Italian capital.

His side dominated possession before Maurizio Sarri’s men snatched a slender aggregate advantage when Immobile sent Manuel Neuer the wrong way from 12 yards in the 69th minute after Dayot Upamecano was dismissed for a late challenge on Gustav Isaksen.

Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala went closest for the German club, who have plenty to do in the return match at Allianz Arena on March 5.

Bayern arrived in Rome having fallen five points off the pace in the Bundesliga following Saturday’s emphatic loss at Leverkusen.

Under-fire boss Tuchel made three personnel changes in a bid to bounce back, including dropping Eric Dier and recalling Germany internationals Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Muller.

Kimmich curled wide in the opening exchanges before Kane could not keep a close-range effort down following Muller’s pull back, while Luis Alberto lashed over from distance for the side sitting seventh in Serie A.

Former Manchester City forward Sane went close when his 32nd-minute effort whistled past the left post after Leon Goretzka and Muller shifted the angle of a free-kick on the edge of the D.

Musiala then fired over following impressive build-up play as the away side failed to register an attempt on target before the break.

Bayern beat Lazio 6-2 on aggregate as reigning champions at the same stage of the tournament in 2020-21 and were heavy favourites to repeat that feat.

Yet, having been relatively untested defensively, the visitors nearly conceded within three minutes of the restart.

Danish forward Isaksen was sent clear on goal after Bayern centre-back Upamecano was dispossessed by former Liverpool man Alberto, only for his low effort to be repelled by the legs of Neuer.

The six-time European champions were struggling to regain the upper hand and felt aggrieved to fall behind 21 minutes from time during a pivotal moment in the match.

French referee Francois Letexier pointed to the spot and brandished a red card after Upamecano caught Isaksen with his studs inside the box.

Bayern were unhappy with the decision but that did not stop Immobile – fresh from scoring his 200th Serie A goal in Saturday’s 3-1 win at Cagliari – calmly rolling home into the bottom right corner.

Former Tottenham striker Kane saw a long-rang free-kick deflected over as below-par Bayern sought a leveller.

Yet the surprise result could have been worse.

Felipe Anderson and substitute Pedro each went close to doubling Lazio’s lead late on, with Tuchel given plenty to ponder.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has defended “p****d off” Thomas Muller’s right to deliver a withering assessment of his team after their Bundesliga title hopes suffered a major setback.

Bayern, who have won the league for the last 11 seasons, were beaten 3-0 at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday as the hosts opened up a five-point lead at the top of the table, prompting 34-year-old Germany international Muller to reveal he was “p****d off” at their lack of “energy and freedom” in an explosive post-match interview.

However, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League last-16 clash with Lazio, Tuchel said: “I think he pretty much hit the nail on the head – and if anybody is allowed to issue a statement like that, it is Thomas.”

Tuchel, who admitted his players are currently struggling to transfer their quality in training into games, added: “Thomas is allowed to say this to the microphones because he’s also going to address it internally.

“And it’s important that the team internally talks about it because when we wake up tomorrow and look out of the window and see Rome, you know it’s a different competition and a new day.

“Even though Bayern Munich loses, the sun will rise again, even though you won’t believe it. We will allow ourselves to really be happy and to try to win. That’s part of the game.”

Tuchel finds himself under pressure heading into the game, but is adamant he will not allow it to distract him.

He said: “No, I don’t feel any increasing pressure. Pressure as such is a privilege, it’s a sporting pressure. I’ve never felt it differently and it hasn’t changed anything.

“It’s important to stay self-confident, to stay self-critical.

“The stronger the noise is around the game and the stronger the pressure gets, it’s more important to stay calm. Nothing will change.”

Lazio will hope to inflict further misery on the 2020 winners, and striker Ciro Immobile is relishing the chance to go head-to-head with Bayern’s 28-goal England striker Harry Kane.

Italy international Immobile told a press conference: “Numbers are important for a striker.

“Being able to compare myself with top-level players like Harry Kane is a big motivation for me. It allows me to understand the level I have reached in my career.

“But tomorrow it’s not a direct match with Kane that matters but the match between Lazio and Bayern.”

The Serie A side returned to form on on Saturday when they won 3-1 at Cagliari, in the process ending a run of three games without a victory, but they remain in eighth place in the table and a full 23 points adrift of leaders Inter Milan.

However, head coach Maurizio Sarri said: “We must not forget that we play to have fun. We need to rediscover the sense of fun on the pitch despite all the responsibilities we have to assume.

“If the child who loved playing football dies, the man also has less fun.”

Lazio and Napoli played out a bore draw in their Serie A clash at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening.

Neither side could find a breakthrough and had to settle for a 0-0 draw which will not live long in the memory.

Lazio had a chance to draw level on points with fourth-placed Atalanta while Napoli missed the opportunity to leapfrog their hosts.

Gustav Isaksen missed a presentable early chance for Lazio, who thought they had taken the lead moments later.

Taty Castellanos controlled the ball on his chest before executing a perfect overhead kick and burying the chance – only for the offside flag to cancel out his wonderful finish.

Isaksen and Castellanos then combined, with the latter’s smart flick hooked away by Leo Ostigard when it looked destined for the back of the net.

Napoli saw a Gianluca Gaetano long-range shot fly wide as they struggled to create chances throughout the contest.

Leander Dendoncker could be handed his debut for Napoli when they return to Serie A action against Lazio, but Victor Osimhen’s future looks set to be elsewhere next season.

Midfielder Dendoncker has joined the Partenopei on loan from Aston Villa for the rest of the season to bolster Walter Mazzarri’s options.

The defending Serie A champions continue to struggle for consistency, sitting down in ninth place, and were beaten by Inter in the Italian Supercoppa final in Riyadh, where Giovanni Simeone was sent off.

Nigeria international Osimhen is away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Despite signing a contract extension which runs until June 2026 and is said to have a release clause of around £112million, last season’s Serie A top scorer continues to be linked with a move away.

Osimhen has already said he already has a plan on his “next step to do at the end of the season”.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed 25-year-old Osimhen was set to leave.

“We have known it since last summer – otherwise, the negotiation to extend would not have been so long,” De Laurentiis told Italian media.

“We already knew he would join Real Madrid, PSG or a Premier League club.”

Poland midfielder Piotr Zielinski is another player expected to leave Napoli in the summer, with Inter a reported likely destination.

Lazio were also involved in the Italian Super Cup, which was held in Saudi Arabia, and were beaten 3-0 by Inter in the semi-final.

Maurizio Sarri’s side return to Serie A action looking to keep up the pressure in the push for the European places.

Lazio will be without forward Mattia Zaccagni and captain Ciro Immobile through suspensions

Centre-back Patric has been carrying a shoulder problem, so Mario Gila could again come into the defence.

As well as missing Simeone, Napoli have Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Jens Cajuste serving suspensions.

Belgian forward Cyril Ngonge could feature following his recent move from Verona.

Inter Milan moved four points clear at the top of Serie A as goals from Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram sealed a 2-0 win over Lazio in Rome.

Martinez pounced on a calamitous back-pass by Lazio’s Adam Marusic five minutes before half-time to give the league leaders a slender advantage at the break.

Thuram effectively sealed victory for the visitors in the 66th minute before things got worse for Lazio, who had Manuel Lazzari sent off four minutes from time for dissent.

The result enabled Inter to capitalise on Juventus’s dropped points against Genoa on Friday night whilst disgruntled Lazio fans now find their team anchored in a lowly 11th position in the table.

Maurizio Sarri’s men more than matched their opponents for long periods of the first half after surviving an initial spell of pressure in which Nicolo Casale saved well to deny Thuram.

Daichi Kamada squeezed a shot wide and a Matteo Guendouzi effort was deflected out for a corner before Nicolo Rovella fired straight at Inter keeper Yann Sommer.

But Lazio’s good work was undone just before the break when Marusic’s desperate back-pass was intercepted by Martinez, who was pushed out wide by Ivan Provedel but managed to dribble around the keeper and steer home the opener.

Inter finished the first half strongly and could have doubled their lead five minutes later when Yann Bisseck headed just wide from the second of two consecutive corners.

Lazio started the second half on top with Rovella bringing a save out of Sommer in their best chance of the game so far, then Kamada finished off a fine move involving Immobile with a complete miskick in the box.

Thuram was left completely unmarked in the box to grab Inter’s second in the 66th minute and from that moment onwards the home challenge dramatically faded.

Henrik Mkhitaryan should have added a third six minutes later only to be denied by Provedel, then Lazzari was shown his straight red card.

Inter were not finished and Mkhitaryan once again brought a save out of Provedel as the restless home supporters greeted the final whistle with a chorus of boos.

Serie A leaders Inter Milan will be without Alexis Sanchez and Juan Cuadrado when they take on Lazio in Rome.

Manager Simone Inzaghi takes his side to his former club boasting a strong run of form that has seen them win seven and draw two of their last nine games.

Things have also been going well in the Champions League, with early qualification for the last 16 allowing Inzaghi to ring the changes for the midweek stalemate against Real Sociedad.

Both Sanchez and Cuadrado started that game but drop out straight away. Sanchez has been rested due to muscle fatigue but the prognosis for Cuadrado appears more serious.

The 35-year-old, a free transfer from Juventus over the summer, is reportedly set for surgery on his Achilles and is facing a lay-off measured in months rather than weeks.

Inter are already without Denzel Dumfries and Stefan de Vrij but their numbers at the back are improved by the return to fitness of Benjamin Pavard, who should rejoin the matchday squad for the first time since he picked up an injury against Atalanta six weeks ago.

Up front, Inzaghi will restore top-scorer Lautaro Martinez to the starting XI after he was kept to 25 minutes off the bench on Tuesday night.

Martinez and Marcus Thuram have formed a strong understanding together and the Frenchman believes they benefit from being on the same wavelength.

In an interview with the Serie A YouTube channel, Thuram said: “There are many things about the partnership, but what I really like most is his technique and his sense of goal.

“We complement each other well. Lautaro is a very intelligent player and I try to be very intelligent too. We are two players who respect the game and it’s easier to play with someone like that.”

Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio finished second last season but have drifted into mid-table after a disappointing sequence in the league.

They have won just one of their last five in Serie A and qualified in second place from their Champions League group despite concluding with a 2-0 loss at Atletico Madrid.

Midfielder Nicolo Rovella is hoping he can affect the result, even though he admits coming from an Inter-supporting home.

“I come from an Nerazzurri family, so my family will be there but I hope they cheer for me!” he said.

“We are a strong team and we will take the field to win. We’re only thinking about doing well on the pitch and we’re all fighting for the same objectives. We’ll see at the end of the season what we manage to achieve.”

Brendan Rodgers bemoaned a lack of quality after Celtic’s interest in Europe ended with a 2-0 defeat in the Champions League by Lazio in Rome.

The Hoops went into the make-or-break game with one point from four Group E matches but were undone with two late goals from the home side’s classy substitute Ciro Immobile.

Celtic were awarded a penalty in added time for a push on substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu inside the box but it was overturned when VAR intervened and sent referee Halil Umut Meler to the pitchside monitor for another look.

The Parkhead outfit, without Luis Palma, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Liel Abada through suspension or injury, will finish bottom in their Champions League group for the second consecutive season.

Rodgers was quoted on bbc.co.uk/sport saying: “It’s the overall quality. We need to have our very best players available.

“What makes the difference is that bit of experience and genuine quality. That’s something we can hopefully resolve over the next couple of windows.

“This group has gained more experience and shown they can compete in some games – but we need to add quality. That’s the glaring thing that stands out.

“Sadly for us, over the course of all the games, we’ve been hampered with our squad and availability. At this level, for us, that’s the very minimum.

“But I have to commend the players that have been playing. They have given everything. The game was very competitive right the way through.

“We lose two goals but the effort and commitment was there.

“In the last 20 minutes we looked like the team that could go on and get the result, but we gave away two poor goals.

“The first one, we’re in a great position up the pitch and we lose possession and never recover our shape. Then they get a bit of luck with the deflection. That was a tough one to take.

“For the second goal, we obviously need to be stronger and better.”

The Scottish champions finished on two points in the Champions League last season and they have their final match at home to Feyenoord next month to improve on that tally.

Rodgers said: “We want to finish on a high. We want to win in front of our own supporters.

“Our support has been incredible, travelling all round Europe. They haven’t seen us win and we’d love to give them that victory at home and finish off with a positive result.”

Celtic crashed out of Europe for the season after a late double by super substitute Ciro Immobile gave Lazio a 2-0 Champions League win in Rome.

The Hoops went into the make-or-break game with one point from four Group E matches but gave as good as they got for most of the game before the home side’s veteran attacker struck in the 82nd and 85th minute to sink the Scottish champions.

To rub salt in the Celtic wounds they were awarded a penalty by Halil Umut Meler in added time for a push on substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu but it was overturned when VAR intervened and sent the referee to the pitchside monitor for another look.

Celtic remain bottom of the section and cannot catch Lazio, Atletico Madrid or Feyenoord.

Brendan Rodgers’ side play the Rotterdam team in their final tie at home next month but that will be their European swansong for another season.

The Hoops travelled to Rome knowing they needed a win to keep hope of progression in Europe alive.

Rodgers had stressed the importance of keeping 11 players on the field after having three players sent off in their two away games – Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm in the 2-0 defeat against Feyenoord and Daizen Maeda in the first half of their 6-0 thrashing in Madrid, with the latter and Luis Palma suspended.

Right-back Alistair Johnston, midfielder Paulo Bernardo and veteran winger James Forrest returned against a Lazio side whose coach Maurizio Sarri was under some pressure after defeat to bottom side Salernitana at the weekend saw them drop to 11th in Serie A.

The visitors made a decent fist of the first half without threatening too much, although after just four minutes Lazio keeper Ivan Provedel had to deal with a drive from Hoops striker Kyogo Furuhashi.

However, the best chance of the first half fell to Lazio’s Brazil international Felipe Anderson, who missed the target with a close-range header from a Matteo Guendouzi cross which ought to have tested Hoops keeper Joe Hart.

Furuhashi almost capitalised on some Lazio indecision in the penalty area between Provedel and defender Mario Gila before the Italian side got the ball to safety.

Both sides enjoyed spells of possession but neither keeper was properly tested again before the break.

Lazio started the second half with increased tempo but in the 49th minute Furuhashi flashed a shot across the far post on a Celtic break before Yang Hyun-jun headed a Forrest delivery back across goal trying to find Furuhashi when he might have tried to get it on target.

Meanwhile, Taty Castellanos twice headed over the bar at the other end and Gustav Isaksen squeezed a shot past the far post after a clever break into the Celtic box.

Immobile and Pedro Rodríguez came on for Anderson and Castellanos with Forrest making way for Mikey Johnston with striker Oh soon coming on for Bernardo to support Furuhashi.

The game began to heat up at both ends.

Lazio captain Luis Alberto lofted a shot over the bar with 10 minutes remaining but when Isaken’s drive was deflected into the path of Immobile he gleefully knocked it past Hart.

Minutes later, later, the Italy international outmuscled Liam Scales, turned inside Cameron Carter-Vickers and slotted in from close range again.

There was more drama in the three added minutes when Celtic were awarded a penalty for a Patric push on Oh but after being directed to his monitor, the Turkish official changed his mind and a chance of a consolation was gone.

Now, it is time again for Celtic to reflect on another European disappointment.

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