FC Bayern's 2-0 victory away to FSV Mainz was hard-earned but deserved. The Bavarians extended their lead at the top of the standings to 18 points overnight, but boss Jupp Heynckes was not entirely pleased after Bayern's tenth competitive victory in a row: "We had five or six gilt-edged chances after the break. If we had taken them we could have easily run down the clock."
Reaction to Mainz v Bayern
Jupp Heynckes: "My team played really well before the break and got off to a good restart. We failed to take our chances and extend our lead then. You have to admit that Mainz also had good chances in the second half. You have to take into account that teams surpass themselves when they're in the relegation battle. You've seen it in the case of Werder and also today regarding Mainz. We had five or six gilt-edged chances after the break. If we had taken them we could have easily run down the clock. Our opponents had hope and chances again and again. We were too sloppy and not as strong as in the first half when it came to transitions from attack to defence. Taken altogether the victory was deserved but compliments to Mainz for their display."
Mats Hummels: "We lost possession too often, we should have played better. Mainz did a good job, it was highly dangerous for us at times. We were exhausted due to the condition of the pitch towards the end."
Sandro Schwarz (1. FSV Mainz 05 coach): "We had a grip on the match in the first half but could have created more chances. Bayern enjoyed more possession of course, but we allowed hardly any clear-cut chances. It was especially bitter that we went one down after the set piece, that was unnecessary. And we were just inattentive when they made it two, we made a positional error. Unfortunatley we failed to pull one back after the break. We believed we could turn the tide today. We stress the good performance because you have to do everything perfectly against such strong opponents."
Stefan Bell (1. FSV Mainz 05): "We were on a par in many respects today, in transitions from defence to attack for example. Our only weakness today was that we didn't take our chances."
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