Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was very relaxed and satisfied when he began his address at the traditional midnight banquet after FC Bayern's Champions League match in Belgrade. "We saw a great match. I'd like to expressly praise the team," said the chairman, fittingly standing at table number six, after the impressive 6-0 victory away to Red Star.
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Bayern were strong in defence and stifled their opponents' play. "We didn't want to allow anything, we wanted to seal the group victory, and we achieved it in an impressive manner," coach Hansi Flick said in praise of his team. Munich showed free-flowing football up front. "We saw the team have enormous quality in possession. They can play and celebrate football," added the coach.
Goal fest
It was no surprise that the Bayern pros were greeted with loud applause when they arrived at the hotel 41 minutes after midnight, led by the man of the match. The team shone with a strong display, but Robert Lewandowski stood out once again. "Sometimes you must slow down to hit the gas again," the top striker had said after the match in Düsseldorf, Bayern's first league match this season without a Lewandowski goal.
He exploded onto scene in Belgrade. After Leon Goretzka's first-half opener, Lewandowski scored four goals between the 53rd and 67th minute. Corentin Tolisso rounded off the scoring with the final whistle imminent. Bayern sealed the group win, Flick extending his impressive run to four victories in a row, with 16 goals scored and none conceded.
FCB confident ahead of upcoming matches
Flick stressed he was "very pleased" with his team's display: "Everyone played well today. Our recent results were deserved. That's how I got to know my players, they want to win every match." Thomas Müller said: "We turned in a top display throughout."
Rummenigge swiftly turned his focus to the upcoming tasks. The men from Munich entertain Bayer Leverkusen next Saturday before travelling to face league leaders Gladbach one week later. "We mustn't descend into euphoria," the chairman said: "Difficult matches await us. But we can be confident ahead of them. You've done a great job over the last few weeks. Keep going!"
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