Bayern were consigned to an avoidable 3-1 defeat against Stuttgart on Saturday afternoon, as the Reds came back from a 1-0 deficit and had chances to take the lead. Towards the end of the game, however, Stuttgart scored twice and made off with the points. “Apart from the final 15, 20 minutes we did a decent job. We could have turned the game around earlier,” said Serge Gnabry. Head coach Thomas Tuchel already looked to the future and focused on the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid. “The next four days count. We're going to flick the switch immediately now,” Tuchel said. fcbayern.com has more of the post-match reaction.
Reaction to VfB Stuttgart vs. FC Bayern
Max Eberl, board member for sport: “Stuttgart went into the game full of energy and deserved to take the lead. We were a little lucky to score the equaliser but after the break we had two or three great chances to take the lead ourselves. Had we scored then, I think we would have won the game. It's annoying to have lost. That's never our plan, but we have a huge game on Wednesday against Real Madrid. We're going to move on quickly now and totally focus on Wednesday. I don't think today will have an impact on our confidence. We already showed against Arsenal how quickly we can flick the switch. We want to progress, no matter how.”
Thomas Tuchel: “This was completely unnecessary. In the second half, we had the chances to score and conceded the goals just before the end due to lack of concentration. If there's ever been a game I want to move on from quickly it's this one. The next four days count. We're going to flick the switch immediately now. We need to give the same kind of performance we did last Tuesday and use our opportunities.”
Manuel Neuer: “We never enjoy accepting defeats. Obviously, we were hoping for a different result. If we had made it 2-1, we would have won this game. We know there's a big game waiting for us on Wednesday. We were particularly dangerous with counter-attacks today and the same will be the case against Real when we create those kinds of situations. We need to be more ruthless though. It's going to be a final in the Bernabéu.”
Serge Gnabry: “We faced opponents today who play good football and deserve to be up there in the table. We knew it wouldn't be easy. Apart from the final 15, 20 minutes we did a decent job. We could have turned the game around earlier when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Harry Kane had chances. In the end, we didn't score and Stuttgart did. Against Real, we have to use the opportunities we create. We played very well in the first leg, we had lots of chances and could have scored one or two more goals. That's going to be very important on Wednesday.”
Reaction from the Stuttgart camp
Sebastian Hoeneß (VfB Stuttgart head coach): “The first half was really good up to the penalty, which was quite a blow for us. The second half was all right as well but the game was more open. Both teams had chances. In the end, the win was deserved. We're now secured a spot in the top four. That was important for us and feels great.”
Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart): “We worked hard all year for this and never gave up. We never strayed from the path. To be able to celebrate with the fans now is really special.”
The match report:
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