There were lots of positives on Wednesday evening at the Allianz Arena: Carlo Ancelotti’s successful rotation; Holger Badstuber’s comeback; Julian Green’s first competitive goal... but most importantly, Bayern reached the last sixteen of the DFB Cup with a convincing 3-1 (2-0) win over FC Augsburg. “It was a knockout game, so it’s important to get through. We did that,” commented Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, adding: “We could have maybe made it a bit easier for ourselves if Thomas’s penalty had gone in.”
There were 57 minutes on the clock when Thomas Müller stepped up after a penalty had been given for handball – and fired over the bar. “Of course I’m annoyed,” said the World Cup winner. “2016 has been a bad year for penalties. Perhaps there was a bit too much adrenaline going through my body. In future I’ll concentrate on the game and let my team-mates take penalties.” No hard feelings! After all, Müller set up the first two Bayern goals for Philipp Lahm in the second minute and Julian Green four minutes before the break. “I’m just overjoyed. My first start at the Allianz Arena and then to score a goal – I’ll never forget it,” said Green, reflecting on his first goal for FCB in a competitive fixture. “Everyone played well,” praised Ancelotti, whose rotation worked out. “I have a great squad. The players are fit and I want everyone to be motivated.”
Rematch on Saturday
FCB dominated the game, particularly in the first half. “We controlled the game. In the second half we maybe lifted our foot off the pedal a bit because we’d been so dominant in the first,” said Lahm. After Augsburg surprisingly pulled a goal back through Ja-Cheol Koo (68), the game came to life again. Manuel Neuer had earlier saved a penalty from Dong Won Ji (48), and David Alaba rounded off the scoring with the last kick of the match.
“We could not close the game out, but overall we had it under control,” said Ancelotti, admitting there is room for improvement. Bayern have a chance to do (even) better on Saturday (3:30pm) when they meet Augsburg again. “We’re looking forward to it. The journey there isn’t as tiring as others in the league,” commented Müller. “The three points are the most important thing.”