Bayern Munich stars react to humiliating defeat by Barcelona – ‘Scoreline was not fair’

Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich acknowledged Barcelona’s dominance in their recent clash, though he felt the 4-1 final score was harsher than the performance suggested. 

Kimmich pointed out that while Bayern had their moments, the game quickly slipped out of their control. After a shaky start, Bayern managed to pull even and looked in command until Barcelona’s second goal changed the momentum. 

Kimmich believed there was a foul involved in that second goal, but it wasn’t called, and just before halftime, Barcelona netted a third goal, further dampening Bayern’s chances. 

“It was a very tough defeat. We started badly but then we managed to equalise and we were in control of the game until they scored our second goal, which I think was a foul on Kim,” he said.

From that point, Bayern lost composure, and Barcelona took full advantage, breaking through Bayern’s press with ease. 

Despite the heavy scoreline, Kimmich felt the result didn’t entirely reflect how competitive the match was, though he admitted that Bayern deserved the loss.

“We lost a bit of patience and control. We made mistakes and Barcelona were able to break the pressure more easily, which led to the goals. 

“I don’t think the 4-1 aggregate scoreline was a fair result considering how the game went, but we deserved to lose,” he added.

Manuel Neuer’s take

Manuel Neuer was disappointed with the defeat. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Bayern’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer also reflected on the match, acknowledging that both teams played with high risk, which led to costly mistakes. 

He stressed that Bayern needed to improve their aggression in midfield, especially against a team like Barcelona, who have quick attackers such as Raphinha.

According to Neuer, Barcelona’s intense style of play was something Bayern hadn’t encountered in their previous matches, and it exposed some weaknesses they needed to address.

“We made mistakes, we need to be more present and aggressive in midfield because Barça have fast players like Raphinha up front, who killed us,” said the keeper.

Then there’s Kane

Striker Harry Kane echoed similar sentiments, focusing on the difficulty of conceding three goals in the first half while playing away. 

“Conceding three goals away from home in the first half was not a great start for us. We had a moment in the first half when we looked very dangerous. 

Kane admitted Bayern had a period where they looked dangerous, but they failed to capitalise on it, allowing Barcelona to exploit the gaps during transitions.

“Barcelona played well and we didn’t take advantage of the moments when we were better. Then they punished us in the transitions.”

Thomas Muller was disappointed

Thomas Muller praised Barcelona. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Finally, Thomas Muller expressed his disappointment, highlighting how Bayern had come to win but ended up with a heavy 4-1 loss. 

“It’s not a nice feeling. We came here to win, but we lost 4-1, so we have a lot of work ahead of us.

Muller suggested that the team’s confidence seemed to wane as the match progressed and that when they reviewed the game, it would become clear that Barcelona had more decisive moments throughout. 

The match left Bayern with a lot of work to do moving forward, particularly in regaining their confidence and fine-tuning their gameplay.

“We have to respect that they are a good team, that Raphinha had an almost perfect night, while we missed good chances,” he noted.

Source: Mundo Deportivo