FC Bayern clearly beats its great rivals and reaches the quarter -finals of the Champions League. Almost even more important: the success against Leverkusen is a conviction.
Julian Buhl reports from Leverkusen
The name of the team hotel, in which FC Bayern celebrated its triumph on Tuesday evening in the round of 16 of the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen. The record champion resided in the noble “Hyatt Regency” in neighboring Cologne. This is exactly where the Munich celebrated their sovereign 2-0 away win after the 3-0 last week in the first leg in Munich.
And with it finally the successful recapture of the reign in German football. After six victimless players against the Xabi Alonso team, which the Munich team had won last season as German champions and also the DFB Cup, these were the first two victories in a direct duel against the rebellious upstarts.
How important they were for Bayern and their especially in the past, Titellosen year, which also let CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen sounded through in his banquet speech in the ballroom of the luxury domicile. “We may have restored the statics in German football a bit,” said Dreesen.
According to T-Online information, some others of the top club bosses also saw this. The tenor, which can be heard from this circle, is very clear: If Bavaria had lost the German-German international meeting with Leverkusen, the probable profit of the German championship would have been definitely devalued. Because Leverkusen would have remained the German number one in the perception.
The triumph, on which Bayern at their winning party at Curry Velouté, Piri-Piri-Freiandhahnchen to Aji Verde, Portwein-Jus, with red, white and rosé wine and of course also one wheat beer, tasted all the sweeter.
The importance of the 2: 0 victory and the progress for Bavaria also emphasized Max Eberl sports director immediately after the final whistle. “Of course it was the case that Xabi and Leverkusen had really outstanding outstanding as a group in the past over 18 months,” said Eberl at Bavaria’s six mandatory games and the Bavarian curse, which lasted over two years.
“But now we’re back,” said Eberl and emphasized the “we” vigorously. “We are first in the Bundesliga with eight points, we are in the last eight in Europe in the Champions League and deserved Leverkusen,” said the 51-year-old. “The curse, when it has been there, is over.”
It was less than four weeks ago that Bayern’s starting position was completely different. On February 15, the Munich -based team had an extremely happy 0: 0 in the same place against highly dominant Leverkuseners, who hit the crossbar twice in this game and, through Florian Wirtz, gave the huge chance to win in the final phase. That evening was pretty much the only positive from her point of view that Bayern claimed their eight-point lead as the league leaders of the Bundesliga and took an important step on the way to the championship.
The likely German championship title, to which the Munich team continues to head, also liable that Bayern still could not beat the Leverkuseners this season, at least in a direct duel after the 1-1 in the first leg and the 0: 1 in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup.