FC Bayern will play its 100th European Cup game at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday against FC Copenhagen (9 p.m.). On this occasion, Thomas Müller looked back on the most memorable performances to date in the stadium in the north of Munich, which opened in 2005.
“Yes, exactly,” Müller answered kicker when asked whether he remembered his first game in the Allianz Arena: “In March 2009, I came on as a substitute for Bastian Schweinsteiger after a good 70 minutes in the game against Sporting Lisbon. In the 90th minute I managed to score another goal to make it 7-1 on my debut. It was a left-footed shot and of course a great moment to come in like that as a 19-year-old. A goal in the first Champions League Playing in front of 65,000 spectators, emotions are bubbling.”
The arena has long since become a fortress for Bayern. The German record champions won 73 of the 99 games in the European Cup so far after moving from the Olympic Stadium to the stadium, which has a capacity of over 75,000 spectators.
However, it was also a particularly bitter defeat. In the 2012 Champions League final, FCB lost to Chelsea on penalties in the “final at home”. In the 83rd minute, Müller gave the hosts the lead, and Didier Drogba equalized in the 88th minute.
“My most important goal was the 1-0 lead in the ‘Finale at home’,” Müller said: “Toni Kroos had crossed the ball from the half-left over the Chelsea defense into the six-yard box, I ran into their back and pushed the ball with me His forehead hit the grass from close range just in front of the goal line, from where he jumped into the short corner under the crossbar. This brutal explosion of emotions was unbelievable, I have never felt it as intensely as I did in that moment.”
This is one of the reasons why, for the 34-year-old, the final against the Blues is still one of the three most important European Cup games in the Allianz Arena. The 2014 world champion also mentioned the 4-0 semi-final win against FC Barcelona in 2013 and the round of 16 against Juventus in 2016, which Bayern won 4-2 in extra time.
When asked which stadium impressed him the most in general, Müller explained: “It’s difficult to say. But the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid is impressive: in the middle of the city with its steep stands and the Real fans all in white.”
© getty
2023-11-29 12:24:00
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