FC Bayern succumbed to a 2-1 away defeat at FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. As a result, the Munich team missed their first chance to wrap up the Bundeslia title. "We set out to do much more. Especially what happened in the first half, that wasn't good enough from us," captain Manuel Neuer said afterwards. "In the first half, we weren't playing the way we wanted. In the second half it was better. But we couldn't break through," summarised Hansi Flick. Here's the reaction from the players and coaches of both sides.
Reaction from the Bayern camp:
Hansi Flick: "It's a pity we couldn't make that step today. Mainz did very well, defended aggressively and kept it tight. We hardly had a chance to score, they defended their goal outstandingly. In the first half, we weren't playing the way we wanted. In the second half it was better. But we couldn't break through. We have to put this game behind us. The players have a lot of minutes and games in their legs. Today it didn't look like we knew what we were doing on the pitch. It looked a little slower, we didn't act with the same intensity we normally do. We have three games left and we need one win. I expect us to get that."
Manuel Neuer: "We set out to do much more. Especially what happened in the first half, that wasn't good enough from us. You can't approach the game like that and [expect to] win. It's clear that Mainz are in great form. They're in a relegation dogfight and want the points. That's why it was difficult for us. We didn't create enough opportunities and were punished when we made mistakes. Our body language and desire for the ball and play out from the back wasn't good enough."
Thomas Müller: "Our play on and off the ball was half a second slower than normal throughout. That made space for them. Mainz then defended all out, and in between that it become increasingly frustrating. We tried, but in the end we didn't deserve to take a point here."
Reaction from the Mainz camp:
Bo Svensson (Mainz 05 head coach): "To be successful against Bayern, you need many factors to go your way. Your plan has to work, and that requires a top performance from individual players and the team. We brought all of that to the pitch. The first half was very, very good, and not only because of our chances. We all know what quality Bayern have up front on the pitch and we didn't concede much there at all. In the second half, we didn't have much respite from defending, but the way we played over the 90 minutes was very impressive. I'm proud to be the head coach of this team."
Martin Schmidt (Mainz 05 sporting director): "It was a good first half, both in terms of play and fight, with many goalscoring opportunities. In the second half, it was solid defensive work and an irrepressible will to get the job done, to write our names in the history books against Bayern. Wins against Bayern are never expected, so they are amongst the most enjoyable."
Robin Zentner (Mainz 05 goalkeeper): "We went into the game with a very good attitude right from the off, got stuck into every tackle and played bravely. That's how we were able to create a lot of scoring chances in the first half. In the second half, we defended like our lives depended on it and conceded very few chances throughout the game. It was an important and deserved three points. We have to keep working and secure the points we need to stay in the division."
The match report:
Topics of this article