Thomas Tuchel insisted he “fell in love” with his Bayern Munich defeat despite their heavy defeat to Manchester City.
The Bundesliga leaders are on the brink of a quarter-final exit in the Champions League after losing 3-0 at the Etihad in the first leg, leaving them needing a miraculous comeback in Munich next week.
Rodri put City in front with a stunning strike from distance, but the clash remained in the balance heading into the final 20 minutes. However, some disastrous Bayern defending proved costly as the hosts ruthlessly took advantage, first Bernardo Silva and then Erling Haaland finishing at the back post.
Tuchel was appointed Bayern boss just a few weeks ago after Julian Naglesmann’s departure, and the German remained upbeat with what he saw from his side at the Etihad from a performance perspective.
“I think our players were lacking a bit in confidence and form,” Tuchel told Prime Video.
“Of course, the result is bitter for us. I fell in love with my team a little today, the way they performed. Even if sounds strange, that was a lot of fun.”
Bayern had won all eight of their Champions League matches this season, and would have been confident of at least keeping themselves firmly in the tie heading back to Germany for the second leg.
Leroy Sane was denied on four occasions by Ederson while Matthijs de Ligt and Kingsley Coman also went close early in the second-half, but that pressure ultimately counted for nothing as City regained control.
“I don’t agree with the result at all,” Tuchel added.
“We were punished in phases in which we were the better team. We were simply brutally punished today. I thought our performance was very good until 2-0.
“I don’t want to talk down the result - I saw a very good performance until the 70th minute.”
