Bayern laid down a marker in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, winning 3-0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen. The victory at the Allianz Arena puts the Bavarians in a good position to reach the quarter-finals, so it was no surprise to hear that players and the coach were pretty happy after the final whistle. “It really is a big step in the right direction,” said Harry Kane, who played his part with a brace on Wednesday night. Vincent Kompany and his team now want to finish the job in next week’s second leg. “The first half is done, but we’ve still got a second game to come in Leverkusen. It’s important we’re just as focused in the next game,” the coach summarised. fcbayern.com has all the reaction to the first leg.
Reaction to round of 16 first leg against Bayer Leverkusen
Vincent Kompany: “The first half is done, but we’ve still got a second game to come in Leverkusen. It’s important we’re just as focused in the next game. We go again on Tuesday. We’re staying calm and have always shown that we’re ready for whatever comes our way, and that needs to remain the case. We did a lot well today and need to do the same again next week. So, there’s no time to praise ourselves. The guys can be pleased, but the focus is now on Bochum and then the second leg.”
Harry Kane: “It really is a big step in the right direction. We all know we’ve struggled for a while against Leverkusen. They’re a really good team. But today everyone’s focus was completely on it from the first minute and throughout the 90. Half the job is done, but it’ll be decided next week. We need to approach that with the same mindset as today. We’ve had problems with the second balls and the intensity in recent games. We did a lot better there today. On the whole, we had a lot of control. We could’ve even got a fourth goal at the end.”
Jamal Musiala: “It was a good game. We’re all happy. But we’re not done yet. We need to take the same intensity and hunger into the second leg. I think we prepared well. Freshness and intensity are the biggest priority for us. It won’t be easy in Leverkusen, but we’ve taken the first step and need to build on that.”
Dayot Upamecano: “We were better in duels today than the opponent and played forward with aggression. It was a very good game by us. We have super fans and they really helped us today. But it’s only the first half. It’s all still to be decided next week. We need to defend just as aggressively in Leverkusen so we don’t concede any goals.”
Jonas Urbig: “First of all, I hope Manu gets well soon and that it’s nothing bad. I was obviously really excited for me to be able to make my debut in the Champions League. I’m also really happy the fans gave me such a positive reception. I sort of took it all in, but I was really focused and tried to cope with those 30 minutes.”
Reaction from the Bayer Leverkusen camp
Xabi Alonso (head coach): “Unfortunately, not much went our way today – the second goal, the red card, the penalty. And it comes down to details in the Champions League. We weren’t grown up enough today. It obviously hurts, but we really did a lot to help Bayern win. You can say we’ll need a miracle for the second leg.”
Granit Xhaka (midfielder): “Despite going 1-0 down, we started the game well. Then we got a dumb red card that was completely unnecessary. But we need to believe till the end and give our all again next week.”
Jonathan Tah (defender): “On the whole, Bayern were more intense in the duels, were more alert. The goals we conceded were very unfortunate, especially the last two and the red card. I don’t think we played as bad as a 3-0 loss, but it comes down to details in the Champions League.”
Read more about the game in our report:
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