FC Bayern eased past Bochum on Saturday to record their first home win of 2023 and consolidate top spot in the Bundesliga. The defending champions ran out comfortable 3-0 winners, replenishing confidence levels ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain. "It was important to get the result and stay top," commented head coach Julian Nagelsmann, before turning his attentions to the game in the French capital. "On Tuesday, we'll try to be at our best and win." fcbayern.com rounds up the rest of the reaction...
Reaction to the Bochum win
Julian Nagelsmann: "The first six minutes were good, then we lost our way. Bochum had the chance to level after the break. From the 60th minute, we were a lot better, the substitutes did well and we deserved to get the win. Today's game has a bearing on the game on Tuesday. We want to play better. It was important to get the result and stay top. On Tuesday, we'll try to be at our best and win. Then we'll see where we're at."
Thomas Müller: "We're happy enough with the result and the performance, but we can do more. It could be a little smoother out on the pitch, but we haven't had a real dip, we've won three in a row and are unbeaten in 2023. I ran in behind [for the goal] because you just never know. The ball moved slowly, which was to my benefit. It was a mix of good reactions, a slice of luck and a sweet left foot (laughs). It's all to play for on Tuesday - we have to be on it and take a good result back to Munich. The most important thing is that we play with intensity as a team, and then we'll see what sort of result we can get."
Leon Goretzka: "We were missing a few things in the first half. You have to be honest: that's not the standard we set ourselves, even though we led 1-0. We did a decent job defensively, but didn't do enough in attack in the first half. In the second half, we tried to send out a signal and play with more energy. We managed to do that, at least in part. Tuesday will be a completely different game. They're a team full of world-class players. We'll try to put our stamp on the game."
Reaction from the Bochum camp
Thomas Letsch (Bochum head coach): "It's annoying to go 1-0 down because of a mistake. We started the second half well, and had the chance to level through Philipp Hofmann. At the end of the day, we didn't do enough to win here today. It was a decent effort, but a deserved win for Bayern."
Anthony Losilla (Bochum captain): "We know we need to pick up points on the road, if we're to achieve our objectives. It's not enough just to play well at home."
Simon Zoller (Bochum striker): "We did a good job of implementing what we set out to to. Manuel Riemann had one or two saves to make, but the defeat was avoidable if we'd have been switched on like we were at the start. We lost 3-0, but we gave it our best. Bayern are better than us in all areas. Everything has to come together if you want to leave here with something."
Facts and figures on the Bochum win:
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