Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel insists his team ‘will never give up’ despite trailing 3-0 to Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
City won comfortably at the Etihad, with Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland scoring in quick succession in the second half to add to Rodri’s 27th-minute stunning shot. After the half, Pep Guardiola’s team blew Bayern away, only to be stopped by a clutch of excellent saves from Yann Sommer.
Bayern had the majority of possession and chances, but ran into an impenetrable Blues defense, while Dayot Upameceno’s errors allowed City to capitalize. Even with a three-goal deficit to overcome, Tuchel remained resolute, refusing to concede defeat.
“It’s a huge mountain,” Tuchel admitted to BT Sport when asked about the second leg. “You will not trick me into saying that it’s too big, but it’s big. Now we need to understand and swallow this kind of defeat, I will not allow my players that it creeps into their heads that this is a deserved result and something to worry about, because it’s not something to build on it.
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“Of course we have the league match in between – that’s a tight race – but it’s a huge step forward for me today on the sideline. I was proud, I was happy with the performance and we will try. It’s football, it’s a home match, it’s a German team – we will never give up until the shower is warm after the match.”
Bayern had the better of the first 20 minutes until Rodri’s goal, and they continued to have plenty of possession even though they lacked the cutting edge to produce clear chances. Tuchel, on the other hand, was adamant about drawing positives from his team’s performance.
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