The Bavarians fell to the first defeat of term on Friday evening, losing 2-0 away to Hertha Berlin. The German record champions had enough chances to take something away from the capital but rued their missed opportunities against their solid opponents. "You just have to put it in up front," commented Bayern captain Manuel Neuer after the final whistle. Boss Niko Kovac agreed but put the display into perspective: "We have to convert our chances, but we mustn't start to decry everything. It just happens," said the 46-year-old.
Reaction to Hertha v Bayern
Niko Kovac: "The conversion rate is one of the reasons why we lost. Besides, we conceded two goals we shouldn't have allowed. We mustn't concede a penalty like this, we made a tactical mistake before the second goal. If you make mistakes you get punished, that's the way it is at this level. Still, we turned in a decent display. It's hard to find an explanation. We must convert our chances, but we mustn't start to decry everything. It just happens. Those who know FC Bayern will know we won't accept it and do everything to return to winning ways."
Manuel Neuer: "We weren't 100 percent alert in the first half, we turned in a different display in the second half. Then you saw we absolutely wanted to win the match. Of course our conversion rate is a big issue, you also saw it in our last match. You just have to put it in up front, that's football. It was missing again today. At half-time we were confident that if we score a goal in the second half we have a chance to turn the tide."
Pal Dardai (Hertha Berlin coach): "I'm very satisfied. Our back four, our pressing game in midfield, the compactness we've been having for years: the lads are doing a good job. It's just discipline. The secret is to play well at the same time and have possession against Bayern. We showed that today. We scored beautiful goals. Bayern upped the pressure towards the end of course, they're all world-class players. But I think we deservedly won today."
Thomas Kraft (Hertha Berlin): "I had looked forward to today's match. We turned in an incredible performance and deservedly won. We laid down a few markers in the first half. Bayern put you under pressure, especially in the last 20 minutes. That's normal."
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