‘It’s now in our own hands again’ after Bayern miss out on automatic place in Champions League last 16

The referee’s final whistle produced an unusual feeling among 75,000 fans at the Allianz Arena after Wednesday night’s Champions League fixture. They’d just watched Bayern produce a comfortable and mostly commanding 3-1 win over Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava, but the result wasn’t met by the customary roar of delight from the crowd. “We sort of did the required part, but not the elective,” said Thomas Müller in an attempt to sum up what had happened. “It’s strange when wins don’t feel like wins,” he added.

Home record in Champions League

It wasn’t just a win. It was Bayern’s fifth in their eight Champions League fixtures this season, with Müller, Harry Kane and substitute Kingsley Coman on the scoresheet. But it was still hard to get excited about a flawless home record or the fact that the Munich men have now gone 34 matches without defeat at the Allianz Arena in the group/league phase – a run no team has ever previously achieved at home in the Champions League. “We won, but it didn’t really feel like a win,” said Josip Stanisic of the subdued mood. “Nobody was really happy about the win. We’d just expected more.”

The plan (and hope) was for a minor footballing miracle, but it didn’t happen. It didn’t really come close for Bayern on the final matchday of the league phase. The ability to finish in the top eight was ultimately dependent on so many other results across the continent. And things were so fluid throughout the evening. Sometimes FCB were short by a point, sometimes by seven goals, and at one stage only two goals. But a place in the last 16 just wasn’t to be. “We needed to win six games,” explained Vincent Kompany. “But we only won five. That’s our problem now.” Müller, who scored Bayern’s quickest goal of this European campaign, also added: “Maybe we were still regretting our performance in Rotterdam a bit. At the end of the day, we’ve got the proof in the form of our final position in the table.”

No space to play

Like Stanisic said, they had expected more not just in the 3-0 loss to Feyenoord but also against Bratislava. Slovan were unsurprisingly set up to sit deep and close off the space to play in and around their penalty area. But Bayern were still able to find ways through, firing off 24 out of a total of 35 shots from inside the box, yet were just unable to finish things off. That included a thunderous effort from Leroy Sane that crashed off the crossbar late on and will probably still be shaking by the time Holstein Kiel arrive at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. 

Back in our own hands

Although missing out on what was ultimately a minimal chance of direct qualification for the last 16 will hurt Bayern and its fans, Kompany was still able to point out a positive of the impending play-offs. “The fact is that we’ve hardly had things in our own hands. That changes tomorrow. It’s all in our own hands again,” the head coach stated. The draw for the play-offs will be made at 12pm CET on Friday, with Bayern’s two possible opponents for a place in the last 16 being Manchester City or Celtic. “If you don’t achieve your initial goal, then you need to put things straight in the lap of honour,” Müller tried to explain again, also talking of the “confidence” that his team now needs to take into the two-legged tie. “Now the play-offs are coming up. We obviously accept that and will see who we get,” the club’s record appearance maker added.

“Let’s see who we get”

The first leg will be played on 11/12 February, with the return fixture in Munich the following week. Should Bayern progress, they then face a last-16 tie against either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid. But nobody is thinking about that yet. “We’ve put ourselves in this situation with the last few games. But you can’t change the past,” Stanisic calmly stated before heading home with the words, “Let’s see who we get and then give our all.”

Watch free highlights of the Bratislava game here: