Reaction to match at RB Leipzig - Manuel Neuer: 'It's unbelievable'

An all-round successful night for FC Bayern! Despite trailing, the Munich men celebrated a 5-1 victory at RB Leipzig in Matchday 18’s top fixture thanks a mightily impressive second half. Jamal Musiala also made his comeback from a long-term injury. Those in charge were therefore pleased afterwards. “The second half, my word – what the guys produced there,” said a proud head coach Vincent Kompany. Captain Manuel Neuer, who made several good saves in the first half, shared those sentiments: “We ran six kilometres more in the second half, which says something about the desire and motivation that were there.” fcbayern.com has rounded up all the post-match reaction for you.

Reaction to the match at RB Leipzig

Vincent Kompany: “They caused us real problems in the first half, they were clearly better. It felt like they were twice as good as us in the first half. We didn’t really get into the challenges and they were strong down the wings, which made the difference. They won a lot of balls in midfield, too. I don’t know if they were a bit fresher than us or not. It shouldn’t really make a big difference but they had played a game less, and it certainly looked like it. But the second half, my word – what the guys produced there. I believe we ran six kilometres more than the opponents in the second half. It still wasn’t perfect but it was pure old school: mentality, running, battling, tackles, getting forward.”

Manuel Neuer: “We’ve often been behind this season but have always come back, and we vowed to do that again today at half-time. We certainly played better in the second half. Leipzig have had a game less than us. And we ran six kilometres more in the second half, which says something about the desire and motivation that were there to turn the game around and then also score the third, fourth, fifth goal. It’s unbelievable.”

Serge Gnabry: “We didn’t score any goals in the first half, but we certainly did in the second. But I think we also controlled the game a bit more after the break, were a bit tidier. And at the end of the day, we knew at half-time: Okay, we can still turn this around, it’s not over. That’s how we went into the second half and were rewarded.”

Jonathan Tah: “We didn’t get into our game. We had no rhythm with the ball and didn’t defend aggressively enough as a team. And when we did win the ball, we just weren’t tidy enough. Nevertheless, there were constantly moments where it could’ve been dangerous. We did that much better in the second half. We’re all very happy that Jamal Musiala is back – and about everyone who’s been out for a long time.”

Aleksandar Pavlović: “The coach said to us at half-time that we can play much better. We actually knew that ourselves too. And then he said to us that we needed to be more aggressive, play forward more. We did that in the second half and it was super. We’re so incredibly pleased Jamal’s back. We’ve seen every day how hard he’s worked, how he’s battled to get back quickly. He’s a world-class player. We’re happy he’s back now and that we can play with him again.”

Reaction from Leipzig

Ole Werner (coach): “You can certainly say that we made the running in the first half. I think we also could’ve led by more – probably should have, in fact. If you want to get anything against Bayern, you probably need to score more than one goal from your chances. Bayern pressed more in the second half, we were more stretched in defence. That said, up until 3-1 we still had some very, very good opportunities.”

David Raum (left-back): “First and foremost, it’s frustration and also a bit of anger. We’ve not got the reward for a good 70, 75 minutes. We had chances, didn’t kill the game off, didn’t score the second or third. But in the end, we also have to admit that Bayern have a certain quality, which you just have to take your hat off to. However, I have to say, the way we played in the last 15 minutes, the way we defended at the back, sometimes playing carelessly or not defending to the end, that's not acceptable. We have to be really critical of ourselves there.”

Xaver Schlager (midfielder): “We wasted chances, it’s as simple as that. At 1-0, at 1-1, at 2-1, we wasted chances and Bayern scored the goals and then ran away with it. I’m fed up. I don’t think the scoreline reflects the game, but ultimately that’s irrelevant.”

The match report: