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Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick was left stunned by his squad’s unexpected 3-2 defeat to Holstein Kiel. The 55-year-old manager acknowledged that the end result was nothing short of surprising.
”It’s a shock of course. We’re very disappointed, we wanted to defend the treble,” said Flick after the game (per FCBayern.com). “Taken altogether, it was down to details, the team showed great spirit. We were dominant, which was our aim. It’s very annoying that we conceded the equalizer in the last second.”
Despite his frustration and angst at the final result, Flick was quick to credit Holstein Kiel — Germany’s new giant killers.
“We must congratulate Kiel, they made it a real cup fight, they were completely committed,” said Flick. “We must put it behind us and do things better. We must be more compact at the back. We must apply more pressure and be more solid when it comes to balls over the top. It’s surprising, that’s what the cup is like. Kiel defended well, their keeper turned in an outstanding performance. It just happens in penalty shootouts, I don’t blame (Marc) Roca at all.”
Roca, of course, went from little-used substitute to DFB-Pokal determining PK taker. Not many could have seen that one coming. After Roca’s miss, Finn Bartels buried his attempt and history was made.
“This is an extraordinary experience for all of us,” said Holstein Kiel manager Ole Werner. “It doesn’t happen every day and we will remember it for a long time. We defended sensibly and had a good goalkeeper. Up front, we also got into the situations we wanted to be in, such as the goal to make it 1-1. When we had the ball, we were brave and I think that was the key to get a foothold in this game.”