'Want to start well'
Sat, 16/09/23, 12:33
Bayern look forward to Champions League start after Leverkusen thriller
Bayern celebrated late on Friday evening, but sadly they weren't the last team to do so at the Allianz Arena. An equaliser from Exequiel Palacios in the fourth minute of stoppage time meant that Leon Goretzka's strike a few minutes earlier was not the winning goal it was supposed to be in the top-of-the-table clash against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. But even if the final result wasn't the desired one, the Reds were satisfied with the game and their own performance.
The wild celebrations after Leon Goretzka's goal in the 86th minute were sadly short-lived.
"It always hurts when you concede such a late goal. It was a fair result on the balance of play, but of course we wanted all three points," summarised Konrad Laimer. Thomas Müller saw it similarly: "The 2-2 draw is the right result," said the 34-year-old, who did however bemoan his team's missed chances. "We had to score again before the break, Harry Kane had the chance to make it 2-1. After that we had luck and Sven Ulreich to thank for not going behind."
Match 'could've tipped either way'
In fact, the meeting between the as yet only teams not to drop points this season produced plenty of chances at both ends. Both the hosts and the visitors had periods of pressure in which they could've settled the contest in their favour. "There was a lot there, it could've tipped either way depending on the phase of the game," added Müller. In the end the points were shared, though. "It looked like luck was on our side at the end," commented coach Thomas Tuchel, but a late penalty saw Leverkusen level. It was a "fair result" in the eyes of the 50-year-old.
Having opened the scoring on seven minutes, Harry Kane could've also made it 2-1 in the 54th minute but was denied by Lukáš Hrádecký.
After the test at domestic level, Bayern now move on to the highest European stage. The Munich men begin the new Champions League campaign with a home match against Manchester United on Wednesday night (21:00 CEST), where they'll be aiming to build on the positive aspects of the Bundesliga clash. "We have to recover well and prepare for the game. Every game in the Champions League is hard, and we expect nothing else on Wednesday against Man Utd," declared Harry Kane, who once again demonstrated his eye for goal with the opener against Leverkusen.
Anticipation for a 'classic'
"I'm looking forward to the game, it's an absolute classic. There have been so many great games between these two clubs before," said sporting director Christoph Freund, for whom the meeting with the Red Devils is his Champions League debut with Bayern. "We want to start well, which will be difficult enough. But it's an evening game, the place will be full." So, it's all set for another top-quality match at the Allianz Arena – and hopefully, Bayern will be the last ones celebrating this time.
The full reaction from the Leverkusen game:
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