Match reactions to Bayern Munich’s Round of Sixteen victory over Chelsea

Bayern Munich had an incredible night at the Stamford Bridge as Hansi Flick’s boys were able to secure an away-victory against Chelsea in the Champions League pre-quarters. In an eventful second half, Serge Gnabry scored a brace and Robert Lewandowski added another to make the scoreline 0-3, leaving the hosts in utter despair.

While reacting to the victory, which also gave Bayern the advantage of 3 away-goals in hand, the coach and the players shared their thoughts on the match and individual performances.

It was indeed a very special night for Hansi Flick. The victory strengthened the chances of an offer for a permanent deal at the club, to which CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge alluded with a very special birthday present. Flick did not forget to mention the brilliance of Serge Gnabry, which made the bigger difference in the scoreline, during the post-match interview. He said (FCBayern.com),

Today it was a very focused team performance for the whole 90 minutes. We put pressure on our opponents from the beginning and dominated the game. In the first half we could have capitalised on one or two chances. In the second half we were able to do so. We are very, very happy. I’ve known Serge Gnabry for a very long time. He has developed so well. Serge is very good in one-on-one situations and in front of goal. We’re very happy to have him.

Thomas Müller had a few very good chances in the first half which, unfortunately, did not end up in goal. Der Raumdeuter did not have very pleasant memories associated with the Blues before last night. He said that he is happy that the team’s hard work had paid off:

That special extra something is in knockout matches. We had a maximum of one or two nervous moments at the back. In the first half we should have rewarded ourselves with a goal. That last piece of the puzzle was just missing. The adrenaline from the game is still in me. All in all it’s an absolutely deserved 3-0 win. We ran from the beginning until the 92nd minute, the team performance was really good. We had prepared a lot and came here with a lot of confidence.

Before joining Bayern, Gnabry spent four years in London with Arsenal but could not deliver the best of his performances there. Now, however, the 24-year-old is ruling London in Bayern colors. Müller quipped how grateful he is for Gnabry failing to have a good career in the Premier League (via kicker),

I’m glad that he’s doing that just now and not five years ago. Otherwise he perhaps wouldn’t be with us at all!

Another commendable performance came from Alphonso Davies — the Canadian prodigy who stole Bavarian hearts within a very short time. Just like everyone else who watched him play, Müller is very much impressed by the 19 year old. He said:

He’s blessed with a body and sprinting — we have not quite had that before at Bayern. What’s even more impressive is that he has learned so much more in terms of tactics in the past year. He probably came seeing himself as a left winger, but now he has delivered world-class performances at left-back.

Bayern fans are ecstatic after the victory and Chelsea fans do not want to be reminded of the game. But there is one thing we are not sure of: what might Alphonso Davies’ father have felt after the match? Davies said,

This was a dream come true to play in this stadium, as my dad supported this team growing up. I think we played well overall; we were defensively sound. We attacked well in first half and stepped it up in the second half.

It is a horrible feeling to have your team get beaten in front of the home crowd. Frank Lampard looks into what went wrong with his men and shares his respect for the Bavarians:

In the first half we had problems in some situations, but we defended well and were lucky to stay in the game. We simply have to show more in the 90 minutes than we did today. Bayern have a very experienced team with players like Lewandowski, Müller, Neuer or Alaba, we’re full of respect for them.

With Bayern thrashing Chelsea at home, all the Bundesliga teams that have played in the knockout rounds in Europe have managed to secure a win. Here we go!