The reaction to Bayern v RB Leipzig - Thomas Müller: Not officially champions, but it feels like it

The decision in the fight for the championship title was adjourned after the spectacle in Leipzig. FC Bayern turned things around after being two goals down away at RB Leipzig, but Munich conceded a late leveller with the full-time whistle imminent. Vincent Kompany’s men missed out on sealing the 34^th championship title mathematically. Leverkusen can still draw equal on points in theory, but Bayern’s goal difference is 30 goals better.

“It’s a bit of a shame we conceded the 3-3 equaliser, but it was still a really awesome match. And yes, we’re effectively champions,” sporting director Christoph Freund put it in a nutshell. Thomas Müller agreed: “Of course it feels a bit weird because of the late equaliser, but we somehow feel like champions. It’s in between.” fcbayern.com has all the reaction to the game.

Reaction to Leipzig v Bayern

Herbert Hainer (President): “We aren’t champions yet, but things are looking very good. We’ve always said the championship title is the most important one because you have to work for it over the course of an entire season. If the team succeed, they’ve more than deserved it. We saw again today what they are capable of. Of course we’d have liked to advance in the Champions League and the cup, but taken altogether, the team have turned in many outstanding displays, great performances, so we’re looking forward to celebrating the German championship title next week.”

Max Eberl (Board member for sport): “The atmosphere in the dressing room is very positive. We turned in a poor first-half display, but then we came back with aplomb. Leipzig’s lucky punch at the end is annoying, but we’re nine points clear now, it’s another step towards the championship title. We regard the glass as half full because we fought back after being two goals down. Leipzig are in a difficult phase, but they’re a good team. We were dominant in the end. Now we want to seal the championship title at home, our full focus is on Gladbach. But we’re still glad about the point here, even though the end was annoying of course.”

Christoph Freund (sporting director): “It was a spectacle. We didn’t play well in the first half, Leipzig were really aggressive. We turned in a really good display and created many chances in the second half. We could have scored a fourth or a fifth goal or even more. It’s a bit of a shame we conceded the 3-3 equaliser, but it was still a really awesome match. And yes, we’re effectively champions. We were two down and then turned things around to make it 3-2. There were a few minutes to go, but we were in a good flow. Of course we hoped to win the match.”

Vincent Kompany: “Taken altogether it’s fun of course, but as a coach you always want perfection, and that wasn’t the case today, in the first half in particular. At the end of the day the afternoon was almost perfect – the first half wasn’t so good, but we saw perhaps the best moments of the season in the second half – the goal we conceded in the 90+4^th minute was annoying of course. But what the team showed today gives me a lot of confidence for the future. The team always believed in themselves despite being two goals down, which shows what potential the squad has and how alive it is.”

Thomas Müller: “It really wasn’t bad today. If you watch football at the moment – last week’s Champions League match, for example – it’s football at its best at the moment. And again today, the atmosphere, the fans before and during the game, the course of the game in general, you just see how much fun this sport is. Of course it feels a bit weird because of the late equaliser, but we somehow feel like champions. It’s in between. We aren’t yet officially, but it almost feels like it. I think it will sort itself out emotionally in the course of the evening – and then the championship title next week, that’s clear.”

Konrad Laimer: “That’s why we all play football. The championship title is the most honest one, you win it over a long distance. We utterly deserve to be at the top, and I’m really looking forward to sealing it. We’ll win the championship title sooner or later. After being two goals down, we created many chances in the second half today.”

Jonas Urbig: “It isn’t official yet, but we want to make it official next week. We’re looking forward to winning the championship title, be it tomorrow or next week.”

Reaction from the Leipzig camp

Marcel Schäfer (managing director for sport): “Every point counts in this case. You can see it in the race for the Champions League spots, for the European spots, everything’s very, very tight, so it’ll come down to every point and every goal. We’re satisfied with the team’s reaction to the deficit because they didn’t give up but tried everything to score the equaliser. We achieved it, but despite all this, we have mixed feelings.”

Zsolt Löw (head coach): “The first half was really good, and in the second half such moments just happen against such good opponents as Bayern. I’m really proud of the team, the lads gave it everything. I’m incredibly proud of them for believing in themselves until the end and achieving this twist.”

Kevin Kampl (midfielder): “I saw a team that believed in themselves throughout, that turned in an outstanding first-half display, that didn’t give up despite a difficult second half and kept fighting until the end. It was a clear reaction to last week’s match in Frankfurt, and that’s the main thing.”

The match report: