Reaction to Union Saint-Gilloise match – Vincent Kompany: ‘The team reacted well again’

Bayern ensured automatic progress to the last 16 of the Champions League thanks to a 2-0 win over a courageous Union Saint-Gilloise side. “I feel we definitely stepped things up after half-time. The team reacted well again. It wasn’t enough in the first half, but much better after that,” said head coach Vincent Kompany in his summary of the game. “It’s important we’re through to the last 16. We didn’t manage that last year, meaning we had a packed February. So we’re proud that we’ve secured qualification,” added Harry Kane, whose brace at the Allianz Arena earned him the Player of the Match award. fcbayern.com rounds up the reaction from Wednesday’s game.

Reaction to the match against Union Saint-Gilloise

Vincent Kompany: “Despite the red card in the second half, we actually played very well. I feel we definitely stepped things up after half-time. The team reacted well again. It wasn’t enough in the first half, but much better after that. The opponent threw all they had in the first half. They’re fresh and have a lot of energy. It’s not just the case with Bayern. I also played for other clubs that were dominant. You often only manage to break through in the second half. The result isn’t always settled in the first half. But still we have to say our first half can be better. We weren’t at our highest level. But you also can’t forget that we’re playing every two or three days at the moment. We’re doing an outstanding job there and winning our games. We kept a clean sheet today. You need to take that into account too.”

Manuel Neuer: “Things weren’t easy for us in the first half because we weren’t playing cleanly or maybe quickly enough, weren’t as accurate in transition as we normally are. We did that differently in the second half. We shifted up a gear, showed who we are and so deserved to win. I just think we proved in the second half that we could do it today. We didn’t start the game too well and weren’t as assured. If the first chance for Harry goes in or the corner from Raphael Guerreiro, maybe we’d find our flow and it’d be easier, even against a team like them. But on the whole we need to say that we’re playing in the Champions League and opponents take advantage of when you don’t have an optimal first half. So it makes us even happier that we managed to turn things around.”

Harry Kane: “That was an important win. The second half was better. We were a bit sloppy with the ball in the first half and didn’t have enough energy against the ball. It was clear at half-time that we wanted to come out with more intensity, and we showed that. We scored at the right time, had some bad luck with the red card but also controlled the game a man down. All in all, a good three points. It’s important we’re through to the last 16. We didn’t manage that last year, meaning we had a packed February. So we’re proud that we’ve secured qualification. We’ve got one game left and want to finish as high up as possible.”

Reaction from Union Saint-Gilloise

Raul Florucz (forward): “The fact we came up short is down to the fact that you have to take every chance you get against a world-class team. Unfortunately we gave them opportunities in the second half, which they immediately took. But we still had a slight chance. For our game against Atalanta, we’ll take that we need to remain focused for 90 minutes and can’t allow any five minutes where we’re not at it. You’re immediately punished for that against world-class teams.”

Read more about the game in our report: