The gargantuan task of overturning Manchester City’s 3-0 first-leg lead proved too much for Bayern on Wednesday despite a herculean effort in the first half in particular. Missed chances cost the Rekordmeister as Erling Haaland scored in the second period to secure the English side’s passage to face Real Madrid. A Joshua Kimmich penalty gave Bayern a draw on the night, but it wasn’t nearly enough to stop a second successive exit at the quarter-final stage.
Thomas Tuchel: “We had them on the ropes twice, tonight more so than in Manchester. We had no luck over the 180 minutes, though. I’m very pleased with both performances against Manchester City and the manner in which we played today. We went toe to toe with the best team in Europe at the moment.”
Joshua Kimmich: “We were determined to take the lead in the first half and had very good chances to do so. It’s very frustrating that we couldn’t take the lead. I would like to have seen the second half if we were leading 1-0. If you view both games, it wasn’t for a lack of desire. Over the 180 minutes we maybe didn’t play well for 20, 30 minutes. We weren’t the worse team. We chased down the deficit from the first leg today. It was realistic that we could make it up.”
Oliver Kahn: “Overall it was a strong performance from the team, especially in the first half. If we’d gone in front then, it would’ve got tense for Man City. But as has so often been the case this season, we create chances and then don’t take them. There was a bit of luck missing too. When you go 1-0 up here, the belief increases, the confidence. Then it would’ve been a tight affair. You can do anything to the team today, but not fault them. They threw everything at it but it wasn’t enough.”
Hasan Salihamidžić: “The stadium was with us, we were waiting for that first goal to come. Sadly we didn’t manage to get it. Overall we played well, we were superior for long periods and had a lot of chances. Sadly we still went out. Nevertheless, we can come away from the game with our heads held high.”
Pep Guardiola (Man City coach): “I’m very happy. We were solid and defended well in both games, but the aggregate score doesn’t reflect the tie. It’s the little details that are decisive at this level. They were two close games. They were better today, especially with the chances they had in the first half. We made a few little changes at the break. We were better after that and had more possession. Bayern have enormous quality. We’re through to the semi-finals to face Real Madrid. If you want to win the competition, you have to beat everyone.”
Kevin De Bruyne: “It’s always tough. It was the same when I played here when I was in Germany. If you’re 3-0 up but then concede in the first half, the momentum shifts the other way. We didn’t give much away. Obviously it made it hard for Bayern when we went 1-0 up. We defended well as a team in the difficult moments. We also had chances to score more goals in the first game. We have a lot of quality in the team. We’re looking forward to the semi-finals.”
