The Bayern players were visibly disappointed at the final whistle on Friday evening at the Allianz Arena. Thomas Müller summed up the mood following the 2-2 draw against Vfl Wolfsburg: "We're anything but satisfied with the result and the game." Bayern were clearly the superior team, gaining a deserved 2-0 lead by half time. "But we made simple mistakes in the second half. We didn't manage to seal the win," lamented Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, .
Robert Lewandowski put the record champions ahead with a penalty in the 33rd minute, after the Pole was fouled in the box. He took the ball himself and scored his seventh goal of the season - on only the sixth matchday! Arjen Robben added his name to the scoresheet with a deflected long shot just 10 minutes later
Ulreich self-critical
Everything was pointing towards another three points for FCB, as Wolfsburg focused on defence and failed to create chances. Mats Hummels commented on the visitors’ tactics: "In the first half, they had no interest in attacking. Their furthest-forward man, Origi, was only about 35m away from his own goal." Salihamidzic was more critical: "There was very little space. But we just didn't play well when moving up the pitch. We were lacking that 100% commitment."
Out of nowhere, the away side cut the deficit through Maximilian Arnold’s 56th minute free kick. Keeper Sven Ulreich was disappointed with the goal."'I made the wrong decision. I wanted to deflect the ball over the bar. It looked like it was coming in higher. That's why I didn't use two hands," the 29-year-old explained. He admitted a "clear goalkeeping error" and apologised: "I'd like to say sorry to the lads and to the team."
Redemption in Paris
But the team stood firmly behind their keeper. "We all make mistakes. It happens when you play football," said Hummels, adding: "We had a huge number of chances." Both Robben, in the 58th and 76th minutes, and Franck Ribéry, in the 78th minute, failed to convert golden opportunities . Late on, Daniel Didavi scored the 83rd minute equaliser for Wolfsburg, and Bayern's fate was sealed.
Carlo Ancelotti was not happy with the performance: "We were slow, not compact enough and had no intensity." But he is looking ahead: "We'll have to play differently in Paris." The biggest game of the Champions League group stage is on Wednesday, when Bayern travel to face Paris Saint-Germainat Parc des Princes. The Bavarians will want to forget the Wolfsburg game and show their true colours. "We're going to perform better there." Salihamidzic promised.
Topics of this article