“We lost the tie in the first leg”
Xabi Alonso followed up his first loss to Bayern Munich as Bayer Leverkusen manager with his second just a week later, as his team crashed out of the Champions League. Following the second leg 2-0 loss, Alonso discussed how the events of the first leg lost his team the tie.
“We didn’t lose the tie today. We lost it in the second half in Munich,” Alonso said after the game (as captured via FCBayern.com). “Today we gave everything in the first half, we wanted to force the luck and the hope — but that didn’t come. I’m nevertheless proud of the team, we left everything out there.”
Alonso elaborated: “We were close to scoring and had enough set-piece situations. We had chances to score the opening goal. It was a bit hectic, but the boys did well. Though after the first Bayern goal, it was very difficult.”
He further defended his team (as captured by @iMiaSanMia): “The Champions League is a competition where you can’t make mistakes and we made too many. We needed something spectacular, but it didn’t work out. The performance was good. There was no lack of quality, it was a lack of efficiency.
“We’ve undergone a great development within the team and the club. The next step is arguably the most difficult. We have to be realistic. We want to be competitive with the best in the world. We have to go our way. But we don’t have to think that everything is a disaster after tonight.”
What did you think about Leverkusen’s performance today? Do you agree with Alonso? Tell us in the comments below!
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich big Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen? Awesome, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
