Hat-trick hero Robert Lewandowski summed it up after the final whistle: "We had the whole game under control today." In the 5-0 home win against Hertha BSC on Saturday evening, FC Bayern ensured the best atmosphere possible in the Allianz Arena stands. There was a standing ovation from the 25,000 fans for the "best game of the season so far," as coach Julian Nagelsmann put it. Here's the reaction from players and coaches from both teams.
Reaction from the Bayern camp:
Julian Nagelsmann: "I'm very satisfied today. We played our best game of the season so far. We needed a bit of time to settle in the first few minutes, but then we were much better and got into the game. We were much more solid in possession than we were against Köln, had good structure, good counter-pressing, won the ball a lot and had a lot of chances. The substitutes also brought in a lot of energy. It's a deserved victory."
Thomas Müller: "Today was probably our best game in terms of how we played. Because our opponents played a little bit differently [to other teams], we were able to use that. I asked Robert at half-time if he's not yet fit or if he's now at the next level, because he was letting balls through in the penalty area for a better-positioned player. You don't get anything if you don't get a touch on the ball. We agreed that he's at the next level (laughs). He got fit during the week when we played in the cup. The crazy thing is that he scores another hat-trick 'in passing'. There are many very good players, even in the Bundesliga, who need years to score a hat-trick. I've also been involved in many goals, but I've scored a hat-trick maybe once."
Leon Goretzka: "Today, a lot of what we had planned before the game worked. Our shape with the ball was good, just as the gaffer wants. As a result, we were very good with the counter-pressing and won back possession high up the pitch. That has also made us strong in the past. As a result, we also created a lot of goal-scoring chances."
Robert Lewandowski: "We were in control of the whole game today and scored a lot of goals. Of course I'm always hungry, but especially physically I feel very good, probably better than three years ago. I'm not thinking about the records. I'm just focused on my task in every game, I don't worry about records."
Reaction from the Hertha camp:
Pál Dárdai (Head Coach, Hertha BSC): "In the first half we didn't offer anything, not even 50/50s. That was not a good feeling. I tried to encourage the team during the break, but then we made another individual mistake and it's 3-0. Then we had no chance at all."
Niklas Stark: "It's difficult to stop Lewandowski because the others aren't half-bad either. Thomas [Müller] always opens up space well, Serge [Gnabry] runs through and then you also have to repel them too. Robert also plays cleverly and drops back or forwards again. All the attacking players were very versatile, which made it difficult for us today. We didn't really find a solution. That can't happen, I'd rather we lose 5-0 but know we've done everything we can."
The match report:
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