FC Bayern are staying positive and looking ahead after losing 3-0 to Manchester City in the first leg of their 2022/23 Champions League quarter-final tie. "It's a big ask to turn it around, but we won't give up," said head coach Thomas Tuchel with an eye to the return leg at the Allianz Arena on 19 April. "The result's tough to take, but we're confident we can get something from the second leg," added Joshua Kimmich. fcbayern.com rounds up the rest of the reaction...
Reaction to the Man City loss
Hasan Salihamidžić: "We played well until the 70th minute, held our own and created some good opportunities. Spectacular goals like Rodri's can happen, but we stuck at it, started the second half well and had chances. It shouldn't have, but individual mistakes happen. They were dominant for the next 20 minutes. We played well out from the back again, but didn't get a goal."
Thomas Tuchel: "The result doesn't reflect the game. We showed real character. We played well for the first 20 minutes of the second half, but weren't rewarded. We went behind to a long-range goal. The reaction was very good, even more so in the second half. We tried to swing the momentum back in our favour. Obviously, everyone is disappointed. It didn't feel like a 3-0 loss, but that's what it is. It's a big ask to turn it around, but we won't give up. A home game in Germany is a home game in Germany. It's not over until it's over."
Thomas Müller: "It's a difficult one to analyse. There were phases of the game we're really happy with, but we lacked a cutting edge. We could have levelled after the break. Unfortunately, the direction of the game swung midway through the second half. Losing by such a big margin really hurts."
Joshua Kimmich: "It's brutal. The first 60 minutes were very good. We conceded another long-range goal, like against Freiburg. That can't happen. We had a chance to make it 1-0 through Jamal [Musiala] just before that. Mistakes crept in at 2-0. We conceded chances because of them, which we weren't doing before. Until then, it was an even game. The result's hard to take. The first half gave us confidence. We had space, defended well and in the second half set out to get something from the game. We believed we could turn it around. We definitely saw today that it's possible to match them and win. We're confident we can get something from the second leg."
Matthijs de Ligt: "The ankle hurts a little, but that's football. City had good chances in the first half, but so did we. It's a shame we gave the game away like we did. We played against a very good team, but obviously we're good, too. We also had chances - but not as many as City. They played better than us. We have to stick together. We've got Hoffenheim next - which is an important game for us - and then City at home. Today's result isn't great ahead of the second leg, but anything can happen in football. The most important thing is that we stick together, and analyse the game. We have to look forward because we still have some very important games to come."
Leon Goretzka: "We made too many mistakes today, we know that. We conceded another worldie, like against Freiburg - but we still had the game under control. I actually think we played pretty well. We were hanging on for a bit after going 2-0 and 3-0 down, but we reacted well towards the end. We tried to throw everything at them and change our prospects of going through ahead of the second leg, but 3-0 is a huge deficit. I think the first 15 minutes of the second half were better than the first half. We did a lot of things well. I don't think there are many teams capable of coming here and playing with such dominance, but an individual mistake threw us off our game. That can happen. We'll learn from it, come again and try everything in the second leg - but it's an awful position to be in."
Reaction from the Man City camp
Pep Guardiola (Manchester City head coach): "Up until the 65th minute, it was a hard game. We had chances, but it was difficult to contain them - especially after the restart, when they had chances. The closing stages were better. We scored three fantastic goals, it's a magnificent result. We have to play well again in the second leg and be very professional to advance."
Rodri (Manchester City midfielder): "It's a great result for us, but the way the team played was also great. The key for me today was our defensive performance. We also understood how to punish them. We understand we can't always have 80 percent possession - other teams can play, too. We scored three, but it could have been four. We don't think we're already through. We'll try to win in Munich."
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