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The Bayern Munich coach claimed to have been happy with the performance despite his side’s 3-0 thrashing by Manchester City in the first leg
Thomas Tuchel has admitted his Bayern Munich side were brutally punished by Manchester City after suffering a 3-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The reigning German champions fell behind to Rodri's stunning first-half opener, before a mistake from Dayot Upamecano allowed Bernardo Silva to double City's lead.
Bayern's task in the second leg became even tougher when Erling Haaland added a third for the hosts.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Bayern boss last month, claimed he was happy with his side's performance despite the 3-0 defeat.
The German, who guided Chelsea's to the Champions League in 2021, claimed his side had been punished for 'almost nothing.’
“Result wise, it is very tough, performance wise not,” Tuchel said. “I liked how we played, very happy with the first 70 minutes.”
“We got brutally punished for not a lot, almost nothing. Half an own goal that we conceded from a mistake, we played a very good first half and even better second half, if we had got the goal we deserved, the momentum could have shifted.
“It sounds silly because it finished 3-0, but we got punished brutally. I was happy on the sideline, but we got punished, brutally, of course (with the second goal).
“We can defend every goal on the video session, if we allow a shot from there with his (Rodri's) weak foot, I am happy.
“We had a lot of chances today (Tuesday) and a lot of shots, but we didn't have the luck or precision that it finds the top corner. When it was a matter of time to score, we did a huge mistake and got punished.”
The first leg was only Tuchel's fourth match in charge of Bayern since replacing the sacked Julian Nagelsmann.
The German coach has won both his matches in the Bundesliga to take Bayern back to the top of the table.
Tuchel admitted his side face a significant challenge if they are to overhaul the first-leg deficit at the Allianz Arena on April 19.
“It's a huge mountain, you will not trick me into saying it's too big, but it is big,” he added.
“I will not allow my players to have thoughts creep into their heads that this is deserved or something to worry about, because it is not.
It's a huge step forward for me today, I was proud and happy with the performance. We won't give up until the warm shower at the end.”
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