„Reacted outstandingly“: Tah praises Bayern’s mentality after the match in Leverkusen | OneFootball

FC Bayern secured a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga’s top match. After the game, central defender Jonathan Tah spoke about the significance of the point, the team’s mentality and several controversial VAR decisions

Munich had to fight for long stretches in the BayArena, but were at least able to take home a point in the end. For Tah, this result can certainly be seen as positive under the circumstances

„You always want to win and you always want to get three points,“ the centre-back explained in an interview with Sky. At the same time, he admitted that the match was anything but easy for the record champions. „But I think today we really had to deal with difficult situations and difficult decisions on the pitch.“

Tah emphasizes Bayern’s mentality

For Tah, the decisive factor was above all how the team dealt with these challenges. Despite the difficult phases of the game and the high pressure of the Champions League match during the week, the team showed the right reaction, he said. „In the end, it’s about how you deal with the situations. And I think we did that brilliantly as a team today,“ the defender emphasised

In his view, the team’s mentality played a decisive role, with every player investing everything to take at least one point. „I think it’s a question of mentality and ambition. Every single one of them wanted to give everything today and give it their all,“ said Tah

This attitude is particularly important for the coming weeks. „It shows what kind of team we are. That’s exactly what we have to carry into the next few games.“

Discussions about several VAR decisions

photo: IMAGO

The central defender is also convinced that Bayern could have been even more dominant with a full team. „If we do that with eleven men on the pitch, then it looks different in the end,“ explained Tah, referring to the difficult phases of the game

In addition to the battling performance, several controversial scenes in particular caused discussion, with two potential Bayern goals disallowed after VAR review

Tah himself was also involved in one of these situations. His supposed goal was taken back due to a handball. „He definitely hit me on the elbow. It wasn’t entirely clear to me whether the elbow was in front of my body or not,“ said Tah, describing the scene. Looking back, he showed understanding for the referee’s decision: „In the end, it looks like it was a handball and shouldn’t count.“

The Bayern defender, on the other hand, assessed a scene involving Harry Kane differently. A potential goal by the Englishman was also disallowed due to an alleged handball. „For me, it’s not a handball, to be honest,“ explained Tah, adding that Kane had even turned away from the ball in the situation and tried to keep his arm as close to his body as possible

„I don’t think the arm is extremely far away from the body, so it’s not a handball for me,“ said the central defender

Despite his criticism, Tah made it clear that the decision ultimately had to be accepted. In the end, the feeling that the Munich team had won an important point under difficult circumstances prevailed anyway – a signal that could be of great importance for the rest of the season.