Villarreal shocked another giant. It could have turned out much worse, thinks Müller – ŠPORT.SK

today 08:54 | The players of Villarreal in the Champions League ended the record 22-match series of Bayern Munich without losing on the opponents’ pitches. After winning 1-0 in the opening quarter-final duel, they have a chance to play after a 16-year break in the semifinals of the prestigious competition. Read also VIDEO: Villarreal surprisingly hit, Bayern failed to score Bayern in LM last lost outside the Allianz Arena in 2017 in Paris with St. Germain, who was then leading Unai Emery – the current coach of Villarreal. The Spanish team started well against the favored Bayern and took the lead in the eighth minute. After a quick action on the right, the ball went through Gerard Moreno, Giovani Lo Cels and Dani Parej to Arnaut Danjum, who sent it into the net – 1: 0. Bayern held the ball in the next few minutes, but despite a well-organized home defense, he failed to get a chance in the first half and did not shoot a goal once. Villarreal almost managed to score another goal for Manuel Coquelin, coming from the right, but his header was tipped over for a corner by the visitors’ keeper. The Bavarians were unable to assert themselves against Villarreal’s well-organized defense throughout the match. Thomas Müller found the loss of 0: 1 acceptable. “It could have turned out much worse for us. Villarreal deserves praise for his performance. In the round of 16, Juventus eliminated Turin and reaffirmed in Tuesday’s match that he did not advance to the top eight. We have to mobilize quickly and present ourselves in a much better light in Munich,” he said. Müller. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann also described the loss due to the course of the match. “In the first half we defended vigorously, we lacked strength in personal fights. We were toothless in the offensive and we did not develop many chances. In the second act it was a crazy match. We threw all our forces into the attack in an attempt to equalize, but we forgot about the back “and we were able to collect two more goals after Villarreal’s quick breaks,” Nagelsmann admitted. According to Giovani Lo Cels, Villarreal’s players played against the six-time European champion very motivated. “After the draw, there was a lot of talk that Bayern is the favorite and should advance to the semifinals. We started the match with great humility, but also with a great hunger for victory. Bayern is undoubtedly one of the best teams in the world, but we managed eliminate his biggest weapons and our victory could have been more significant, “said Argentine midfielder for accredited media.