The match away to FC Köln was "tough" as expected, according to Franck Ribéry, the final 3-0 scoreline notwithstanding. However, the Bavarians "did a good job from the start" and won deservedly against the Billy Goats on Matchday 23. The Bavarians will be buoyed by the domestic success ahead of the Champions League last sixteen return away to Arsenal on Tuesday.
Reaction to Köln v Bayern
Carlo Ancelotti: "It was a good match. We're satisfied, the match was important. We had problems at the beginning as Köln were disciplined and defended well. We had more space after Martínez' goal, and in the second half we turned in a good display."
Franck Ribéry: "It was an important victory. We did well today, and we have to build on that. It was a tough match but we did a good job from the start. A 3-0 win away to Köln, that's superb. They're a good team, they're having a good season. It's important for Tuesday, against Arsenal."
Peter Stöger (1. FC Köln coach): "If you want to be successful against Bayern you have to make the most of the two or three promising situations you get. Osako's header was one of them. That doesn't mean at all we'd have won, but Bayern might have had problems, it would have been more interesting then. It's clear we won't get a grip on the match against Bayern if we concede the second goal shortly after the break. I'm assessing what I've seen from my lads: what they gave me in terms og running, organisation and willpower, which was absolutely okay. Especially against opponents who're on a run, like FC Bayern at the moment."
Neven Subotic (1. FC Köln defender): "Being a sportsperson I'm unhappy after a defeat of course. We'd been looking forward to the match throughout the week because we'd be up against the best, but they're in a different class. I still think we did a decent job over 90 minutes, we also had chances to score the opener in the first half. Unfortunately we weren't resolute enough in front of goal. Of course it suits Bayern if they dominate possession against opponents who fail to score. We put up a decent fight, even if we can do better. But overall our performance wasn't too bad."
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