Union Berlin post-match reaction - Christoph Freund: 'Showed great mentality'

Despite twice trailing, FC Bayern rescued a last-minute 2-2 draw at Union Berlin thanks to a battling display and a stoppage-time goal from Harry Kane. “It’s obviously great that we came back again,” summarised captain Manuel Neuer. “In the end it’s a very good point for us because we picked up points and our rivals didn’t.” Sporting director Christoph Freund also praised the team’s attitude: “The team showed a great mentality, scored the late equaliser and showed they don’t want to lose.” fcbayern.com rounds up the reaction from Berlin for you.

Reaction to the match at Union Berlin

Christoph Freund: “In the context of the match, it’s a point gained. We knew it would be a difficult match with a lot of challenges and set-piece situations. We just didn’t get into the game in the first half-hour. Union did a very good job, they were very aggressive. Nevertheless, we still could’ve turned the game around in the first half – the chance was there. In the second half, there weren’t many chances or highlights overall but it was very hard-fought. At the end of the day, it’s a point gained. The team showed a great mentality, scored the late equaliser and showed they don’t want to lose.”

Vincent Kompany: “Luckily I prepared my players for this match for three days. I expected this, I wasn’t surprised at all. We weren’t in the game in the first half, that wasn’t good enough from us. It’s about details: Union’s strength from set pieces is well known. The last 60 minutes weren’t a bad performance from us, even though Union were always a threat. But today we came up against opponents who did a lot of things right.”

Manuel Neuer: “In the end it’s a very good point for us because we picked up points and our rivals didn’t. As a result we’re six points clear today. It’s obviously great that we came back again. The sight and distance weren’t perfect for me for the first goal, but I made the wrong decision. I still think everyone was fresh today, it was just difficult against this team. Nevertheless, we could’ve scored a third goal – the belief is always there in our minds.”

Harry Kane: “It was a tough game but we knew what to expect. The pitch was difficult to play on and the opponents played a lot of long balls. As well as that, a lot of things went against us today – a lot of little things, but that’s just football. We had to fight and stay calm and we did that. It wasn’t our best performance today but we still managed to get a draw in the end.”

Joshua Kimmich: “It takes a lot to beat us at the moment. It’s not easy, you have to survive for 97 minutes. For us it was important that we didn’t lose. Union obviously play a different style of football; I find it impressive that they produce that style of football on the pitch every week. It was obviously very uncomfortable for us today. We didn't do well for the first 30 minutes, after that a bit better. There are a few things we have to improve, a few things were okay.”

Reaction from the Union Berlin camp

Steffen Baumgart (coach): “Of course we’re annoyed that we conceded again in added time, but if someone had said that to me before the match, I certainly would’ve said that’s a partial success. But overall we saw a great Bundesliga match today between two teams who desperately wanted to win. On the whole, we’re a bit sad and a bit happy.”

Danilo Doekhi (centre-back): “We’re certainly a bit disappointed – when you’re 2-1 up against Bayern, you want to win. So, the disappointment about the late goal outweighs.”

The match report: