First defeat in 144 days
©IMAGO
He could have been upset about Manuel Neuer’s minor and major mistakes, about the end of a series or generally about this first defeat of the season. But no, the CEO of FC Bayern, Jan-Christian Dreesen, reached for his smartphone during the almost six-kilometer drive from the stadium to the midnight banquet after the 3-1 defeat in the Champions League at Arsenal.
Dreesen said he “googled a bit” because of only dark memories because he asked himself: “When was the last time we lost?” And that said a lot about the self-image of the German record champions. After 18 games without defeat on this rainy evening in London, there seemed to be only a tiny crack, if any.
Bayern deserved to lose. Dreesen admitted this, as did coach Vincent Kompany and goalkeeper Neuer, who was partly to blame for the third goal conceded just under a quarter of an hour before the end with a failed rescue trip towards the halfway line. But a defeat in November is easier to cope with than one in an important game in the knockout rounds in the spring. Bayern share the feeling of all top European clubs.
Bayern coach Kompany: “We haven’t lost anything today”
“The Champions League will not be decided now, we have lost nothing today,” said Kompany. He feels like his team is “hungry” for the next game. “If we took the steps in March and April that we still want to take, then this game also played its role for us,” said the Belgian, who congratulated Arsenal.
In an even more open first half, youngster Lennart Karl equalized the Londoners’ lead in the 32nd minute through Jurriën Timber (22nd). After the break, Bayern no longer had any significant chances. The hosts celebrated their fifth win in their fifth Champions League game after goals from Noni Madueke (69th) and Gabriel Martinelli (76th).
“The Gunners are teaching the in-form Germans a lesson,” wrote the Daily Mail. Unlike the victories at Paris Saint-Germain (2:1) and against Chelsea (3:1), the Munich team did not manage to assert their style of play. The Arsenal professionals did exactly what they had to do, said former London world-class striker Thierry Henry on “CBS Sports”.
“We were the worse team in the second half,” admitted Dreesen. His research showed that the last defeat was 144 days ago – in the summer at the Club World Cup, the Munich team lost to PSG, who later came second. Thanks to the 17 wins in the 18 games up to Wednesday evening, everyone had “got used to winning,” said Dreesen. It would then be “of course difficult” to accept defeat.
Before opening the buffet, the CEO once again expressly praised his team in higher spheres. “We had a wonderful journey with you, we were intoxicated by your playing,” said Dreesen. “You are a fantastic team, you play excellent football, exciting football.”
Neuer’s statement after a mistake for FC Bayern: “Big risk”
The Neuer mistakes – the goalkeeper was also unfortunate when conceding the first goal – only played a small role in the statements made by those responsible, if they were addressed at all. This may also have been because the third goal conceded when the score was 1:2 was the deciding factor in the game, but Bayern were far, far away from a possible equalizer beforehand.
Even without trying to clear the ball well in front of his goal, Arsenal would have had a great chance, said Neuer. Goalscorer Martinelli would then have entered into a running duel with Joshua Kimmich. “I’ll say that he’s faster than Jo,” said Neuer, who therefore saw a one-on-one situation coming his way. “I knew that, I tried to eliminate it beforehand.” In the end he just didn’t get to the ball in time, “although I knew I was taking a big risk.”
When the first goal was conceded after a corner, Neuer also didn’t get to the ball in time, which Timber headed past the keeper’s hands and into the goal. Neuer had been bumped into by the Dutchman immediately beforehand. “Of course he throws me off balance, that’s clear. And then I’m in a different position than I would have liked and I can’t get to the front like that anymore.” But he is not a goalkeeper “who throws himself down”.
Nobody was younger: Bavaria’s Karl with a premier class record
Offensive jewel Karl has meanwhile set another record against Arsenal. At 17 years, nine months and four days, he is the youngest player in the Champions League to score a goal in his first two starting appearances. In addition to the equalizer against the Gunners, Karl also scored in the 4-0 win against Club Bruges in October, when he was in the first eleven in the premier class for the first time.
