FC Bayern failed to take home a point in the first away match of 2021. Munich fell 3-2 to Borussia Mönchengladbach despite getting off to a good start. "We were dominant in the first half-hour, until their first goal," commented Thomas Müller. But the hosts levelled the scores before half-time and took the lead after the restart. "Details proved decisive: our mistakes. It's annoying, and of course we're disappointed," said head coach Hansi Flick. fcbayern.com has compiled the statements.
Reaction to Gladbach vs. FC Bayern
Hansi Flick: "Gladbach were very efficient, they ruthlessly exploited three of our mistakes. We played well in the first 30 minutes, we were dominant. Then details were decisive: our mistakes. We gave away possession and made wrong decisions at the back. After their third goal we weren't able to bounce back. Defeats are part of football. We still got off to a very good start. At the end of the day we only have ourselves to blame. It's annoying, and of course we're disappointed. Gladbach closed down space and were looking to strike on the break. They did a fantastic job."
Thomas Müller: "We were dominant in the first half-hour, our build-up play was calm, we tried to combine our way forward with many simple and short passes. But we were unorganised at turnovers. Gladbach were patient and closed down space in the middle, so they were rather passive in the first half-hour. Unfortunately they clinically exploited our two bad passes. Apart from these two, Gladbach didn't have so many chances today. We didn't lose so many one-on-ones at the back. We lost the ball when looking to attack, so it wasn't so easy for the centre-backs. We failed to exploit our dominance in the second half."
Leon Goretzka: "Giving the game away like that after leading 2-0 hurts. The first 30 or 35 minutes were the best we've played in a long time. We were in control, but then we lost the ball twice where we shouldn't lose it and didn't react properly. Then it's 2-2 in no time. Their winner comes from a similar situation. We invited the opponent three times and they took their chances. Then you're behind and it doesn't get easier when a team is able to just concentrate on defending. In the second half, we had a bit of bad luck here and there. They were individual mistakes, but you can still position yourself better beforehand so that these ball losses are not so devastating. We are conceding too many goals against at the moment."
Marco Rose (Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach): "I'm proud but we can put it into perspective. We have to keep at it now. We've had a lot of games where the luck of the draw has been amiss. Today we worked hard for our luck. All in all, it was a deserved victory. The boys did very well. We were 2-0 behind, without Bayern beating us into submission. The goals were unfortunate, yet all of a sudden it's 2-0 to them. Until then, we weren't in the game enough, weren't brave enough. The goal back was important for us, so that we could develop the feeling that something might be possible. That gave us strength. And then football games go the way they go."
Jonas Hofmann (Borussia Mönchengladbach): "We're over the moon. It was a tough fight. After going 2-0 down, I'm sure many didn't expect us to be able to turn it around. We scored the first two goals exactly as we had imagined. Bayern defended with a very high line, so we had to get behind the back four. We did that very well. We had a hard time at the start, but we got into the game more and more. It was great that we took the lead right after the break. In the end, it was a tough battle defending that all. That's part of it, especially against Bayern."
Reds fall to ruthless Gladbach: the match report.
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