FC Bayern enjoyed a perfect afternoon on Saturday, beating Hannover 3-1 and consolidating their lead at the top of the standings. "Taken altogether it was a deserved victory. We did our homework," a satisfied Niko Kovac commented. Arjen Robben, who made his comeback after five months on the sidelines, said: "I'm very grateful. It's the only word that comes to mind: gratitude."
Reaction to Bayern v Hannover
Niko Kovac: "Hannover defended very well in the first 20 minutes. We dominated possession but struggled to create good chances. We had very good opportunities after the opener. We should have been four up at half-time, it would have been calm then. Hannover pulled one back, we were in possession after that, but they defended very well. Taken altogether it was a deserved victory. We did our homework, we're five points clear now, and we'll see what how many will be left tonight."
Arjen Robben: "I'm very grateful. It's the only word that comes to mind: gratitude. I did everything for this, I trained and fought to return to the pitch. When we made it two I thought, it's going to be nice, a nice afternoon, I'll get some minutes out on the pitch. Unfortunately it was only for five minutes."
Thomas Doll (Hannover 96 coach): "It was a tough match as expected. We did a good job in the first 25 minutes, but then we were confronted with wave after wave of attacks. Bayern showed positional strength, we didn't defend so well when Lewandowski scored. The lads did a decent job, it was clear we wouldn't dominate against Bayern. We were a bit lucky we were only two goals down. Esser did an incredible job. There's no shame losing in Munich."
Linton Maina (Hannover 96): "We didn't really get a grip. They were too strong on the wings, with Kimmich and Gnabry on my side. We recovered in the second half and did a really good job. It was even more difficult after the yellow-red card. It's hard enough against Bayern with 11 men."
Topics of this article