Champions League: Kahn praises “international” Bayern, Sané thanks fellow defenders

Champions League
Kahn praises “international” Bayern, Sané thanks fellow defenders

The victorious Bayern pros left the Munich soccer arena exhausted and sometimes even limping – but also happy and satisfied.

The 2-0 (0-0) against FC Barcelona with a goalless returnee Robert Lewandowski after a performance boost in the second half of the game was a milestone towards the round of 16 of the Champions League. “Internationally, the team shows what it’s made of,” praised Bayern boss Oliver Kahn shortly before midnight in the catacombs of the stadium.

Sané thanks the defense

National player Leroy Sané said the defense around goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and the “outstanding” central defender duo Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Hernández were the key to success. “We offensive have to say thank you to our defence,” said the attacker, who made the decisive double strike on Tuesday evening after Hernández’s header (50th minute) with his finely played 2-0 (54th minute).

“We had the necessary bit of luck in the first half. Then the team played with a different power and scored two quick goals,” summed up Kahn. In front of 75,000 spectators in the Allianz Arena, Barça acted dominantly in the first 45 minutes, but – including the exceptionally absent Lewandowski – failed to convert the scoring chances.

Lewandowski remains silent

“It’s annoying, we could have scored more here,” said coach Xavi. World footballer Lewandowski left his long-term place of work without a word. It hadn’t been his evening.

After two 2-0 wins at Inter Milan and Barcelona, ​​Bayern are on course as leaders in Group C in Europe. In the next two games against the outsider Viktoria Pilsen, who started with two defeats, progress could already be sealed in the first half of October. However, Kahn sees no reason to “succumb to euphoria. We still have phases in the game where we can play better.”

injuries after the game

The intense 90 minutes not only cost a lot of energy, but also left injuries. World champion Hernández sustained a muscle injury in the adductor area, the severity of which was not initially known. Fellow defender Upamecano left the dressing room with a bandaged left knee. And as the third defender, Benjamin Pavard had to leave the field early after a collision. The Frenchman was “a bit dazed”, explained trainer Julian Nagelsmann.

The coach praised his team for what they had been missing in the draw series in the Bundesliga: “We showed the efficiency that we missed against Stuttgart or Gladbach.” For captain Neuer, the home win was a willful effort: “We just wanted those three points more than Barcelona.”

dpa