FC Bayern increased the pressure on their rivals in the race for the championship title on Friday. SC Paderborn levelled the scores twice, but Robert Lewandowski sealed an ultimately deserved 3-2 victory when he netted with two minutes to go. "Paderborn pushed us to our limits. We tried everything after the second equaliser. A compliment to my team, we fought," coach Hansi Flick said after the match.
Reaction to Bayern v Paderborn
Hansi Flick: "I'm satisfied with the result. Paderborn pushed us to our limits. We tried everything after the second equaliser. A compliment to my team, we fought. It's part of it to put up a fight as a team after setbacks and to force victories. We switched to a back three, so it was clear not everything would work out perfectly. We allowed them hardly any chances in the first half, but we didn't finish our moves well in some situations. We adressed that at half-time. It wasn't an easy match, but we'd told the team beforehand. Paderborn play well, they try again and again to find positive solutions and attack with determination. At the end of the day I'm glad we've taken three points."
Manuel Neuer: "I'm really relieved! The three points had been our goal. It was important to keep our foot on the gas and to believe we can win the match. It was annoying that we had to toil after the second equaliser. We achieved it together, it was a team effort. We had to change our formation a bit due to the one-match bans, so it was clear we couldn't play as we had in the last few weeks."
The best of the action against Paderborn in pictures
Steffen Baumgart, SC Paderborn coach: "I'm always satisfied with my lads. We know we must always push to our limits to turn in such performances. At the end of the day it was a narrow victory for Bayern. Of course we'd have liked to take something away, considering when they scored their third goal. That makes it very annoying. My lads gave it everything. Bayern really upped the pressure towards the end. Unfortunately it wasn't enough. We played against the best team at the moment. They're outstanding."
Leopold Zingerle, SC Paderborn keeper: "We're very satisfied with our performance of course. We've often played well and kept up but failed to take points this season. We came close to taking a point today. It was unfortunate to lose 3-2 even if Bayern had a couple of good chances. Maybe the margin would have been bigger if they'd scored earlier."
Workmanlike Reds overcome Paderborn: the match report 👇
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