Scandal in the Bayern cabin: Mane hit Sane in the face

At Bayern, the reactions to the first leg against Manchester City could not have been more different. After the 0: 3, the knockout threatens. “The result gave us a punch in the pit of the stomach,” admitted Thomas Müller. Coach Thomas Tuchel nevertheless praised his team: “I refuse to talk bad about the performance in any way. I saw a very, very good performance up until the 70th minute. I’m very happy,” said the 49-year-old, who said he was “in love with my team” although the offensive only scored in the dressing room after the final whistle: Sadio Mane hit Leroy Sane in the face. The club did not comment, Mane will probably be severely punished for his behavior.

Tuchel will have a say in the consequences of the cabin scandal, and the last word should not have been spoken in the quarter-final duel. “Nothing is given away!” said the coach with regard to the second leg on Wednesday. CEO Oliver Kahn added: “I’ve experienced incredible things in football. We have a duty to throw everything in again.”

The game was “a bit disgusting to analyze,” said Bayern captain Müller, who initially found himself on the bench. “We’ll learn from there again, get up and try everything in the second leg,” said Leon Goretzka. The risk of separating from coach Julian Nagelsmann, with whom Bayern had previously celebrated eight victories in eight Champions League games this season, will probably not pay off, at least for this season. “Nevertheless, I believe that we will benefit a lot from the new coach,” said Joshua Kimmich. Realistically, there is only one chance for the title – that in the Bundesliga.

“I’ve aged ten years”

Manchester City, on the other hand, took another step towards the desired first triumph in the Champions League. Star striker Erling Haaland, who scored the Englishman’s third goal, also played a part in this. The Norwegian set another record, as it was the 45th goal of the season for the 22-year-old ex-Salzburger in all competitions. According to the data service provider Opta, no player in the English Premier League has ever managed this in a single season.

Coach Pep Guardiola spoke of an “excellent result”. In what was initially a balanced game, Manchester took the lead with a dream goal from distance by Rodri (27′) and in the second half capitalized on some hair-raising defensive mistakes by Bayern. But Guardiola didn’t want to know anything about an easy game. “It wasn’t comfortable at all, I’m emotionally devastated,” said the Catalan, causing laughter from journalists. “I’ve aged ten years today.”

Guardiola warned against considering the duel as decided. “To eliminate these teams you need two good games, not just one,” said the 52-year-old. The second leg will take place in Munich’s Allianz Arena on Wednesday. “I’ve been there many, many times and I know that this team is special in Europe,” said the Spaniard of his former club.