Reaction to Champions League game against Chelsea – Manuel Neuer: ‘We’re riding a positive wave’

Bayern got their 2025/26 Champions League campaign off to a winning start with a 3-1 victory at home to FIFA Club World Cup holders Chelsea. “The guys didn’t just do their job but were exciting in their play and very much deserved to win,” said a pleased Vincent Kompany afterwards. Double goalscorer Harry Kane was named Player of the Match and commented on a “top performance. It was a hard, physical game, but I’m really happy.” fcbayern.com rounds up the reaction to Wednesday night’s match.

Reaction to Champions League match against Chelsea

Vincent Kompany: “A lot of things had to come together today in terms of our performance to win. It was really intense. I could feel that on the touchline. But it was also fun. The guys didn’t just do their job but were exciting in their play and very much deserved to win. We’ve had some notable tests so far: Tottenham in pre-season, Stuttgart, Leipzig – none of them small tasks – and then today Chelsea, the Club World Cup champions. But the concentration was very good. That allowed us to play our game and show a very solid performance.”

Manuel Neuer: “I’m really pleased. This game was a big hurdle. You know you’re playing against the Club World Cup winners. And we obviously know about Chelsea’s form coming into this, so it’s good we were able to win our previous games and used the momentum and will try to keep building on that. We’re happy with the way we played our first game at home. We’re riding a positive wave right now and want to keep it positive for as long as possible.”

Harry Kane: “A top performance. They’re a really good team. We said before the game that we’re playing against the Club World Cup champions. We had to be on it from the start, which we were. We started really well and went 2-0 up. It’s a shame we conceded straight after that, but we had the better chances in the second half. I think possession was key, finding the right angle, helping each other. Serge and I often drop deep to make it tough for them to press. The longer the game went on, the more tired they looked. Spaces opened up and we were able to use them. It was a hard, physical game, but I’m really happy.”

Konrad Laimer: “We had a very intense match because both teams just play in a very intense way. But I think we did better over the course of the game and deserved to win. We also had a few more chances to perhaps put the game to bed earlier, but their team has quality, can always hit back and score a goal. But I think we defended with great concentration.”

Reaction from Chelsea

Enzo Maresca (head coach): “We started well in the first 20 minutes and allowed them very little, but then we conceded two simple goals. But we quickly found the right answer. However, luck wasn’t on our side after that, even though I think we had a good second half. But we can learn a lot from this defeat.”

Cole Palmer (forward): “I think we played well. We showed we deserve to be playing at this level. The three goals were obviously our own fault, but I feel we had chances and the game could’ve gone differently.”

Read more about the match in our report: