MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) – Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel heaped praise on his team despite their Champions League exit at the hands of Manchester City after a 1-1 draw in their quarter-final return leg in Germany on Wednesday dumped them out 4-1 on aggregate.
Tuchel, who took over from sacked Julian Nagelsmann in late March, has now seen his team crash out of two competitions in two weeks after they were also knocked out of the German Cup by Freiburg in the last eight.
But the former Chelsea coach could find only a few things wrong with their performance over the two legs against City, who won 3-0 in Manchester last week.
“I am very satisfied with both games against Manchester City and with the way we presented ourselves today,” Tuchel told reporters.
“We were on par with what is currently the best team in Europe. There was a difference in self-confidence and form. For the few chances we conceded in both matches, we were punished. I don’t think the scoreline reflects the tie.”
The Bavarians had a string of chances in a strong first half on Wednesday and should have scored with Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala missing opportunities.
But City’s top scorer Erling Haaland struck after the restart, seconds after Bayern had gone close themselves, before a late Joshua Kimmich penalty earned Bayern a draw. Haaland had also missed a penalty in the first half.
“We had enough chances. But in order to beat the best team you need more than just 100%. You need also a bit of luck, a deflection, a set piece and you also have to make those golden chances you get.”
“I think we had City on the hook again, even more so than in Manchester. But, like last week, we never had that moment of luck which you need to turn this around.”
Bayern are still on course for a record-extending 11th straight league title, with a two-point lead over Borussia Dortmund and six games left in the season.
“You saw today that we can play on this level. Unfortunately we can also play on a different level and sometimes in a game the concentration level is not kept up,” Tuchel said. “We have to stop these things.”
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Toby Davis)
