FC Bayern claimed a deserved 4-3 victory over Holstein Kiel at the sold-out Allianz Arena to win their sixth league game in a row and extend their lead at the top of the table to nine points overnight. Bayern were four goals up in between, but things got exciting again in the closing stages. "It's important we won, but we must stay focused and hungry over 90 minutes and impose our game," Christoph Freund said after the match. Jamal Musiala commented: "We know we have to show the mentality of wanting to concede no goals over the full 90 minutes." fcbayern.com has compiled the post-match reaction.
Reaction to Bayern v Kiel
Christoph Freund (sporting director): "We're glad we won, that was our goal. It was unnecessary to make the game so exciting again, the feeling after the match is different this way. It's important we won, but we must stay focused and hungry over 90 minutes and impose our game. We didn't achieve that but still claimed an important victory."
Vincent Kompany: "It was a pretty complete game in the first 80 minutes. We'll have to analyse the last ten minutes with the team. Kiel never gave up and always believed in themselves. We now have a week to train. We're in a good position to tackle the next few weeks."
Manuel Neuer: "We put in a good display for large spells but ruined the game a bit, that's annoying. Unfortunately we made too many wrong decisions. It's important we stick to our plan until the end. But at the end of the day we have three points, that's the main thing."
Harry Kane: "It was fun, it was a good game for me. The goals before and immediately after half-time were crucial for us. February will be very important for us, with many games against strong opponents, we have to be ready for that. We'll need the full squad for it."
Jamal Musiala: "None of us is happy it ended 4-3, but we know we have to show the mentality of wanting to concede no goals over the full 90 minutes – we mustn't ease off, even if we're up several goals."
João Palhinha: "The match was a bit strange at the end. We wanted to keep a clean sheet, but it was a bit crazy in the final phase. But the main thing was to win and take three points today, and we achieved that."
The reaction from the Holstein Kiel camp
Marcel Rapp (coach): "My conclusion is ambivalent. Looking at how the fans are celebrating the team and how the team performed, we can be proud. On the other hand we must analyse it. We should have defended at least two goals better. Taken altogether, we showed what we wanted to show. We lost, but we showed for what we want to stand."
Steven Skrzybski (midfielder): "We should have defended better when we conceded the goals. Still, we didn't give up after the fourth goal, we fought against it. We can be proud of that."
Fiete Arp (forward): "At the end of the day it's a defeat, it's a pity. But it's nice we gave the away fans the feeling we fight for the colours and that we were able to reward them with a few goals."
Lewis Holtby (midfielder): "I saw what spirit and what quality the team have. They believe in themselves even in hopeless situations. We didn't defend well when we conceded the goals, but my conclusion is rather positive. We played with passion and fighting spirit."
Finn Porath (midfielder): "Some of the mistakes we made were avoidable, but we scored three goals here at the Allianz Arena, and even if it's hard, it must give us courage and hope for the next few matches. We'll stay in the league if we fight until the end."
The match report:
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