by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, April 26 (Xinhua) — Bayern Munich will rely on a hardened mentality when facing Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of its UEFA Champions League semifinal on Tuesday.
“We accepted the fight and set aside concerns about possible injuries, which had initially restrained them,” coach Vincent Kompany said after Bayern’s dramatic 4-3 comeback win away to Mainz.
The former Manchester City defender praised his team’s attitude, saying they played “as if it were a decisive relegation game.”
Kompany, who is suspended for the first leg in Paris after receiving a third yellow card in the competition, described the turnaround as a major boost. The win was Bayern’s biggest league comeback since 1976, when it overturned a 4-0 deficit to beat Bochum 6-5, the only time in Bundesliga history a team has recovered from four goals down to win.
Jamal Musiala compared the victory to a final.
“Having the hunger to turn the game as if it were about the championship gives us a good feeling,” the 23-year-old forward said.
Bayern striker Harry Kane stressed the importance of “keeping the momentum alive and preserving that winner feeling,” adding the result had reversed a potential downward trend.
Board member for sport Max Eberl said the team has learned to overcome adversity, describing a “siege mentality” that took shape during the FIFA Club World Cup.
“It’s not only the team and the coach; it’s the entire club,” Eberl said, adding that “our four weeks together” had fostered unity during his second year in charge. He called the Club World Cup a “turning point.”
Details will decide the outcome in Paris, Eberl added, while midfielder Leon Goretzka described the clash as one between “Europe’s two strongest sides.”
Eberl also praised Kompany’s appointment after Bayern had been turned down by several candidates, including Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, Austria’s Ralf Rangnick, and Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner.
He said a call by supervisory board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola helped dispel doubts about Kompany, who had just been relegated with Burnley.
“He sparked a strong sense of identification with our club among all in these weeks of the Club World Cup,” Eberl said. “That’s the mentality we need when facing Paris.” ■
