Ten-man Bayern put up a resolute fight against Manchester City on Tuesday night but conceded a stoppage-time winner and fell to their first Champions League defeat of the season. The Bundesliga leaders lost 3-2 away to Manchester City, ending an 18-game undefeated streak. “It’s a real shame because we played so well,” reflected Arjen Robben afterwards. Pep Guardiola had nothing but praise for his men: “I’m very, very proud of my team,” the Spaniard said.
Reaction to Manchester City v Bayern
Pep Guardiola: ”I’m very, very proud of my team. We played for a very long time with ten men against the English champions and we showed huge, huge character. We dominated possession, we didn’t allow them many chances and we controlled the game. But that’s the Champions League for you. What’s happened today is good. Maybe it’s a good lesson for us, because if something like that happens in the Round of 16 or the quarter-finals, you’re out.”
Arjen Robben:”We’ve lost possession twice and been brutally punished. It’s a real shame because we played so well. We deserved something tonight. I want to pay the team a huge compliment and we can be proud. We never went looking for a hiding place and we were excellent in possession even though we were a man down.”
Xabi Alonso: ”We played very well to start with, but we made the two mistakes at the end and that knocked the whole thing on the head. It’s a real shame we’ve lost.”
Robert Lewandowski: ”We’ve made two or three mistakes in the last couple of minutes and Manchester City scored twice. I think we played really well even though we only had ten men for so long. We played so well until the 80th minute but unfortunately we couldn’t keep it going right to the end. We weren’t as focused in the last few minutes. It’s a shame.”
Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City coach): ”I’ve always said Aguero is one of the best in the world. He was very good indeed, and the whole team played well in the second half. It was tough right before half-time when we conceded two unbelievable goals. But we steadily increased the pressure and we’ve managed a result that means so much to us. Bayern played very well and dominated possession. But we never let our heads go down.”
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