It wasn’t meant to be. FC Bayern put up a great fight against Paris Saint-Germain right until the end on Tuesday evening, winning 1-0 at the Parc des Princes, but in the end the Bavarians were eliminated by the narrowest of margins, on away goals after the 3-2 home loss in the first leg. “The disappointment is great. We put a lot of heart into it but scored one goal too few,” Thomas Müller summed up after the final whistle. “The decisive factor was that Paris’ ruthlessness in the first leg was superior to ours,” determined FCB coach Hansi Flick. fcbayern.com has collected reaction from both camps.
Reaction from the Bayern camp
Hansi Flick: “The team is disappointed, we’re all disappointed that we were eliminated. We played two good games. We lacked efficiency in front of goal, in both games. I have to compliment the team for their attitude and mentality. In the end, if you add up both games, we were the better team. The decisive factor was that Paris’ ruthlessness in the first leg was superior to ours. Nevertheless, I would like to emphasise again that my team tried everything over both games, fought and showed great mentality. Today it’s okay to be gutted, but tomorrow the focus must be on Wolfsburg. We must move on and make sure we’ll perform again on Saturday.”
Manuel Neuer: “It was not just because of today. The 1-0 was deserved, but the result last week was not good enough. It’s annoying, especially if you look at the first game, where we missed many chances and conceded one or two goals too many. All the players not here today were missed. It’s difficult when you play against such a great team then. Still, we had a top team on the pitch that gave it everything.”
Thomas Müller: “We’re very disappointed. We put in a lot of heart and soul but scored one goal too few. It was different from the game in Munich, we didn’t really come close to their goal in the opening stages, Paris had the first few chances. Then we got into the situation we wanted and scored the opener. Our effort and commitment in the second half were superb but it was very scrappy. We never really put them under permanent pressure, we were dangerous, but Paris were too. At the end of the day it’s very disappointing that we’ve been eliminated despite a victory away to Paris.”
Reaction from the PSG camp
Mauricio Pochettino (Paris Saint-Germain head coach): “We were very focused. It was a really tough game, I’m happy, all credit to the players. To win and advance to the semi-finals is an incredible moment for us.”
Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain): “First and foremost it was a great game for all fans, with lots of chances and action in the box. We’re very glad we’ve advanced, we’re satisfied we’re semi-finalists. We came out on top against a strong team, the holders. Congratulations to the entire team. First we must enjoy this.”
