Bayern rediscover traditional virtues

FCBayernNews · News fetcher Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 1361 votes: 2

12.11.2006

Claudio Pizarro's dramatic late goal to earn Bayern a thrilling 3-2 victory away to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday sparked an outpouring of emotion in the Munich camp as intense as anything seen on the touchlines or in the dressing room for a very long time, the players, coaching staff and officials celebrating wildly in a torrent of elation and relief.

"We're back on course to becoming the Bayern of old," coach Felix Magath proclaimed following his side's thrilling comeback from the seemingly hopeless position of 2-1 down with nine minutes remaining. The Reds responded magnificently with two goals in the space of three breathless minutes to claim an unlikely victory at the stunned BayArena.

Rummenigge praises dressing room morale

"We showed real character after going 2-1 down. A different team might have caved in, but we've sent out an important signal," chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge enthused. "We showed morale, passion and fighting spirit – and we need to do that more often," commented Hasan Salihamidzic, scorer of his side's opener just after the half-hour mark.

Those virtues were conspicuously lacking in last Wednesday's dismal 1-0 home defeat to bottom club Hanover, but it was a transformed Bayern side which took to the field in Leverkusen. "We've proved we're a unit and we believe in ourselves," offered Philipp Lahm, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday. "Winning is the best possible present today."

Inspired by Werder's slip

Less than 24 hours earlier, league leaders Werder Bremen had generously handed Lahm and Co a gift of a different sort by losing 3-1 at home to Borussia Dortmund. "On Friday afternoon, it looked as though we might fall nine points behind Bremen, but now the gap's only three points," Magath observed. Without the final flurry in Leverkusen, the Reds might even have found themselves marooned in mid-table by Christmas.

Brazilian sub Athirson's 80th minute strike to put Bayer 2-1 ahead raised that looming spectre over the Bavarians, albeit briefly. "I didn't really believe we'd score twice after that. I hoped we might get the one," the Bayern boss later admitted. Munich were clearly the better side in the first half and deserved the lead handed to them by Salihamidzic, but Leverkusen sub Stefan Kießling's tap-in just three minutes after the restart rocked the visitors back on their heels.

Makaay foretells better times ahead

"They put us under pressure after that," Magath acknowledged. Athirson's strike served as the wake-up call for the Reds to rouse themselves and stage a decisive late rally. "There was only one team in it after they went 2-1 up, and we deserved the goals to make it 3-2," Roy Makaay declared.

As a mark of their determination, the Bayern players staged only the briefest of celebrations after Martin Demichelis had risen unmarked to head the equaliser on 83 minutes. "We hurried straight back to the centre-circle. We intended to win it," Makaay remarked. However, following Pizarro's right-footed belter and the full-time whistle blown by top match official Dr Markus Merk, the Reds' unrestrained glee matched that of a team which has just won a Cup final. "We wanted to prove we shouldn't be written off just yet. The situation looks dramatically different again now."

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