Successful start to the 2022/23 Champions League campaign! After FC Bayern's 2-0 away win at Inter Milan, the Bayern players were suitably satisfied. "The first game is always important and we won - that's what counts," said Matthijs de Ligt, emphasising the importance of opening with a win. The only area where coach Julian Nagelsmann saw room for improvement was in the team's conversion rate: "We had significantly more chances than goals scored." fcbayern.com has the reaction from both camps...
Reaction from the Bayern camp:
Julian Nagelsmann: "We had good control throughout. We had significantly more chances than goals scored, but we also gave them one or two opportunities. In the first half, we defended well and defended everything with a high line. We were never in danger, but there's always a lingering threat because Inter have great individuals. In the second half, we were much more solid, we won more balls and had clearer-cut chances to score. Nevertheless, we could have sealed the win a little sooner. In the end, it was a deserved win. We played with real maturity. Everyone's energy was good, so I'm satisfied."
Matthijs de Ligt: "When you win in Milan, it's always good. The first game is always important and we won - that's what counts. We have a very good team, but our strength is our intensity. When we don't have that, we encounter some problems. Today we did well. We were patient, and when the moment presented itself, we found the gaps."
Leroy Sané: "I just want to play well, feel good and leave the pitch happy. I saw the space and knew they had gaps in behind. I made my run and Jo [Kimmich] showed great vision."
Reaction from the Inter camp:
Simone Inzaghi (Inter Milan manager): "The first 20 minutes we didn't play with the same freedom we normally do, we weren't in particularly good shape physically, either. The first half we didn't focus, and we conceded. In the second half, we could have equalised, but our execution was off. Today we played against probably the best team in Europe. It's very difficult to beat FC Bayern."
Edin Džeko (Inter Milan striker): "It's a tough defeat because we wanted to do better, especially in front of our own fans. We know how strong Bayern are, and today they showed their qualities. We gave everything and also had our chances. Unfortunately, unlike Bayern, we didn't score. We often lacked the final ball."
Robin Gosens (Inter Milan midfielder): "At the end of the day, we can live with Bayern's win, but it's not like we didn't have chances. These are the types of games in which moments decide the result. We conceded a goal in the first half from a long ball. It's exactly what we'd said mustn't happen, because we knew that Bayern like to make those kind of runs from deep. It wasn't a great game on our part, but we had two or three chances to capitalise on some good play - but our final ball was lacking."
The match report:
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