Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany cut a surprisingly chipper figure after his side’s 0-1 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen that sees the Bavarians out of the German cup early yet again.
A year after getting bounced by 3. Liga side FC Saarbrücken — and with a thrashing to Gladbach and a defeat to second division Holstein Keil still in recent memory — Bayern finds itself again out of the DFB-Pokal. At least this time it was to the reigning league and cup holders.
But that’s not the reason for the optimism, if you can call it that.
“I don’t want to sugarcoat this defeat,” Kompany stressed after the match (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “But my role is simple, from tomorrow we go full throttle again to keep this energy and motivation up. This team will continue to grow and will have their moments.”
Bayern played down a key man for over 70 minutes after keeper Manuel Neuer’s sending off in the 17th minute, and by any account, made a good fight of it. The home side might have even been considered favorites to take anything from the match up until Nathan Tella’s sudden header out of nowhere in the 69th minute — a moment’s lapse in concentration and a wondrous Álex Grimaldo cross all it took to undo the brave Bavarian resistance.
“Football is like this sometimes,” Kompany continued. “We coaches try to have everything under control and plan everything, but sometimes these moments happen. For me there are two feelings. The first feeling is fact that we lost and won’t win the Pokal this season. The second feeling is that this performance was special. With 10 men, we didn’t just wait and hope. We were proactive and positive. If we keep this up, we’ll win many games — although we won’t win this Pokal.”
The positivity flowed from the stadium to the pitch, with a roaring Allianz Arena supporting Bayern through its improbable quest. “A moment of togetherness” — as relayed by ESPN sideline reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt — that’s the message Kompany wanted spectators to take away from this one.
And that atmosphere, despite the defeat, is only building. ◆
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s shocking 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal? Then you came to the right place. Check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show on Patreon, Spotify or below:
