Xabi Alonso on Bayer Leverkusen’s loss to Bayern Munich: “We didn’t lose the Round of 16 today – we lost in the second half in Munich”

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·12 March 2025

Xabi Alonso on Bayer Leverkusen’s loss to Bayern Munich: “We didn’t lose the Round of 16 today – we lost in the second half in Munich”

Speaking at his post-match press conference (via @bayer04xtra) following Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich and their elimination from the Champions League, head coach Xabi Alonso addressed the performances.

On the performance in the second leg, the Leverkusen head coach said:

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“I think we tried in the first half and were near [a goal] – there were no super clear chances, but we had set pieces and were in a situation to score a goal and have a little more hope, but we didn’t achieve that momentum. We tried, with good energy, to [make the game] a little… not crazy, but hectic. I think the boys did well, but Bayern defended very professionally, and didn’t make a mistake. We waited for a mistake, but it didn’t happen from Bayern. It’s difficult. The boys tried until the last minute, with great pride and dignity. [So] this is the Champions League [for us this season], this was our path in the Champions League and I congratulate FC Bayern.”

Leverkusen was in the game for the first 45 minutes, but early on in the second half, there was a big error in defense, which practically ended the tie. After that, Leverkusen struggled to really trouble Bayern, which summed up the round of 16 tie.

When it comes to the Round of 16 as a whole, Leverkusen were well below their level. Mistakes didn’t help them in the first half, but the damage was done in Munich. On the performance over the two legs, Alonso commented:

“We didn’t lose the Round of 16 today – we lost in the second half in Munich [last week]. The Champions League is a competition in which you can’t make too many mistakes and we made enough to have a very difficult return leg. Today we needed something grand to happen, but that wasn’t the case in the end. The plan that we had and the performance were okay, they were okay. [We didn’t have] the efficiency in the set pieces. That’s all.”

Leverkusen’s foray back in the Champions League showed how the club compares to some of the top teams in Europe. On how they could reach a higher level, Alonso said:

“I think that we’ve made a big development in the team and club until now to get to this level. But the next is the most difficult one – it’s not just about football but also about the [finances of a] club. So our level and that of FC Bayern are different. We need to be realistic, we were able to become competitive, that was a big development in our team and that’s where we need to pick things up. We also need to be proud, not stupid and think ‘Oh, it’s all a catastrophe’ – no, it happened and that’s the way it is.”

Leverkusen are still eight points behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, while they are also in the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal against 3.Liga side Arminia Bielefeld.

GGFN | Jack Meenan