Bayern Munich suffered a disaster defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen yesterday by a single goal.
The Bavarians suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night to crash out of the competition in the round of 16.
Bayern Munich finished the contest with 10 man after Manuel Neuer was sent off in the 17th minute after he fouled Jeremie Frimpong outside the 18-yard box.
Leverkusen broke the deadlock through Nathan Tella in the 69th minute to send Bayer Leverkusen to the quarter-finals as they aim to defendtheir title.
Kompany was full of praise for his players for their performance despite losing, while backing the team to recover well to battle for the Bundesliga, and the Champions League.
He said: “Of course it’s so bitter that we were eliminated. The red card influenced the game, but the boys did very well and showed character. I played in so many games with a man down and know how tough it is.
“We created chances with a man down but unfortunately couldn’t score. The fans gave us an extra push and were the extra man. We have to differentiate between the fact we’re out and the fact the boys did very well. I can’t blame anyone.
“To play with 10 men is always a special challenge. In those situations, the fans really can become the 12th man and all of us felt that today: the players on the pitch, the bench and the substitutes.
“The crowd visibly helped the team. There was life in our performance today. The boys gave it everything they had. Nevertheless, you can’t sugarcoat defeats, particularly not when they mean you’re out of the cup.“
Manuel Neuer admitted that the red card influenced the game, and he apologised to his teammates for his costly mistake.
He said “The red card decided the game. It hurt us and for that I’m sorry. I’ve already apologised to the team. I was still hoping for a hint of an offside in that situation, but I can’t change it now. It was a mistake and I have to accept that.
“I don’t have a choice. Obviously, it wasn’t easy to keep playing afterwards but we did a very good job as a team. We invested a great deal and tried everything. You really can’t blame us as a team.”
Bayer Leverkusen coach, Xabi Alonso has hailed his players for their performance against Bayern Munich.
He said “I’m very proud that we made it to the next round here in the Allianz Arena. Even against 10 men it’s very difficult to win here, but we achieved it and that makes me happy.
“As expected, it was a heated battle. Now, we’re super-happy about the quarter-final.”
Even though Bayern Munich have good record of being crowned PDF cup champs, they have not reached quarter-final since 2020, when they defeated Leverkusen 4-2 in the final.
Kompany together with his troops will be hoping to forget about their upset when they host Heidenheim in the Bundesliga, while Bayer Leverkusen hosts St. Pauli on Saturday.
Kompany’s- side lead the Bundesliga log by four points, while sitting in the 13th position on the Champions League log.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
