Exactly ten years ago, FC Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final. Manuel Neuer likes to look back on the duel with BVB.
There was a lot at stake for FC Bayern in the premier class final in 2013. After all, the Munich team ended up only behind BVB in the two previous seasons in the Bundesliga. A year earlier, FC Bayern lost dramatically to Chelsea in the “Finale dahoam”.
“We had something to make up for – and Borussia Dortmund was exactly the right opponent for that,” said Manuel Neuer in an interview with the “Abendzeitung”, looking back on the 2-1 win over BVB. At the same time, the 37-year-old said: “Another defeat would have been an absolute low point.”
“Things went really well at the party”
But thanks to goals from Mario Mandzukic (60′) and Arjen Robben (89′), FC Bayern and head coach Jupp Heynckes got the upper hand in the end. The interim equalization by Ilkay Gündogan (68th) didn’t change anything.
“Things went really well at the party after the game, but not without a brake because we had to play the cup final against VfB Stuttgart a week later,” Neuer recalled the hours after the game.
Manuel Neuer explains the secret of FC Bayern’s success
The goalkeeper revealed the secret of the success of the FC Bayern team at the time: “The squad was not rebuilt before the season, only adjusted in one or two places. We were a good team, only the last step was missing.”
Every player has distinguished himself through his reliability. “Everyone could rely on each other. A real team. Then the squad wasn’t too big. Jupp [Heynckes] built on 15-16 players, we always had a good feeling on the pitch,” said Neuer.