FC Bayern battled it out for a goalless draw at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in an extremely intense top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash on Saturday evening. The Bayern defence held firm against an attacking Leverkusen side, allowing the Munich side to defend their eight-point lead over the Werkself at the top of the table. “We're happy with the result. We didn't create much, Leverkusen had a good day and put us under pressure. It was difficult to find proper space,” said captain Manuel Neuer. fcbayern.com has compiled all the reactions to the game.
Reaction to the game against Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Max Eberl: (board member for sport): “It's not actually in Bayern's DNA to try and play out a 0-0 draw. We wanted to play as we wanted, but we didn't really have a firm grip on the game. Leverkusen put in a very good team performance. We defended our own goal, tackled successfully and fought for a point. The morale was absolutely right. It was a good step today, we didn't want to lose. We're now eight points clear and will do everything to make sure we can lift the trophy at the end.”
Vincent Kompany: “Of course, we always want to dominate the game. But if a team forces us to defend, then we have to defend. Leverkusen played very well today, Leverkusen pressed superbly, secured the ball superbly and also fought for it. Above all, we had to defend today. And I have to give compliments to my team. We've had so many games in the past where we've scored a lot of goals. Today the task was different, today it was all about defending – and we did a great job. We defended with a great mentality. We'll take that home with us.”
Manuel Neuer: “We're happy with the result. We didn't create much, Leverkusen had a good day and put us under pressure. It was difficult to find proper space. We're going home with a point, which is perhaps fortunate. But in the past, it's also been the other way round. Leverkusen started aggressively, our training in defence paid off. We had a lot of players at the back, and we did well. The important objective today was that we didn't lose the game, and we did that.”
Jamal Musiala: “It wasn't a normal game today; we didn't have much pressure on the ball and didn't have much possession. In the end, we got a point and still have an eight-point lead. That's definitely a positive. Leverkusen were very aggressive, they really pushed. We just wanted to play our game today. Our focus was on defending. Now we'll see what we can do better – and then it's onwards to Celtic on Tuesday.”
Reaction form the Leverkusen camp
Xabi Alonso (head coach, Bayer 04 Leverkusen): “We played at a high level against a strong Bayern team. They usually destroy their opponents, but not today. We created a lot of chances; our intensity was good. We did everything right – except scoring goals. In the end, it wasn't enough.”
Granit Xhaka (Bayer 04 Leverkusen): “We feel like we lost today. We put in a great performance, we had so many chances. If you don't take your chances against such a top team, it's very bitter. We should have left the pitch as winners today.”
Read about the most important highlights in the match report:
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