“We could have won,” said Thomas Tuchel at the microphone of German broadcaster Prime Video, after Bayern Munich’s draw at Arsenal (2-2), Tuesday evening in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League.
“We could have won, we had a huge chance with Kingsley (Coman). And there was a 100% penalty that we didn’t get for a handball in the box. It hurts at this level,” said the German coach after the match. On an action in the second half, when the referee blew the whistle for a replay and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya passed the ball to his defender, Gabriel used his hand to replace the ball.
“We tell our players that it’s a young man’s mistake, that doesn’t happen in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. It’s a new form of rule, it’s incredible,” Tuchel railed. “It was a very good opponent, very good spectators for Arsenal, but a below-average performance from the referee. The situation is clear, whoever wins the return passes. We will need the same atmosphere from our supporters in the return match, with the same desire from our players, the same passion on the pitch as today,” appreciated the Bavarian technician.
“It wasn’t an easy match, Arsenal have a very good team, at the top of the Premier League. But it’s a good away result and I hope we can make a difference at home. It was an intense match,” said Harry Kane, scorer from the penalty spot in the first half, his 39th goal of the season in Bayern colors. For the English center forward too, Bayern should have benefited from a penalty on the action between Raya and Gabriel. “Okay, it’s a stupid mistake, but it’s clearly a penalty. It’s football, that’s how it is,” he said on Prime Video.
On the return, “I think we might be more aggressive without the ball. Not having fans tonight was a bit hard. (…) In big matches, you have to take the energy from the fans to move forward,” he explained on TNT Sports, the English broadcaster of the match.
