Football victory in the quarterfinals
And suddenly Thomas Tuchel is FC Bayern’s hero
As of: 01:45 a.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
Coach Thomas Tuchel after the game
Source: dpa/Sven Hoppe
The Munich team managed to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League again after four years. The club celebrates the coach who has been criticized so often recently. Now Bayern are dreaming of a German final – and are negotiating with Julian Nagelsmann.
The cheering at the final whistle in the Munich stadium had never been this big and loud for a long time. The assistant coaches jumped on Thomas Tuchel and hugged him, the FC Bayern substitutes ran to their colleagues on the pitch screaming with joy. Then the team walked arm in arm in front of the south curve and celebrated. “European Cup winners, European Cup winners FCB…” sang the fans. And the stars jumped exuberantly in front of them.
With the 1-0 (0-0) in the second leg against Arsenal FC, the German football record champions moved into the semi-finals of the Champions League. For the first time in four years, the club made it to the last four. The dream of the German final is alive, of a new edition of the 2013 final: Bayern against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium. This year too, the final will take place in the legendary Arena in London on June 1st.
“A German final like this would be a dream,” said goalscorer Joshua Kimmich. “The second half in particular was very, very good. We could have scored more goals and we deserved to go through.” And club boss Jan-Christian Dreesen said: “You can dream a little. A new edition of the German final at Wembley would be sensational.”
also read
Under Tuchel, Bayern have lost so many titles in the past 13 months. They now believe in a happy ending in the premier class – the 50-year-old will no longer be Munich’s coach in the summer, the club decided that weeks ago.
also read
Bayern didn’t shine against Arsenal in the second leg, but they deservedly progressed. Arsenal were disappointing; after Kimmich’s goal (64th minute) there was no powerful reaction from the Londoners. A surprisingly weak performance by the second-place team in the Premier League against efficient Bayern.
“The goal is very, very good. “I had to listen to a lot last year and received very little support,” said Kimmich. “In the end, it proves once again that hard work pays off.”
Harry Kane also praises the coach
In the dressing room, some Bayern players watched the penalty shootout between Real Madrid and Manchester City after their win. Real prevailed and will now face Bayern. The first leg will take place in Munich in two weeks, the second leg a week later in Madrid. “It will be two very difficult games,” said Kimmich.
In the dressing room on Thursday night, the players also took a celebratory photo with Tuchel, which the club posted online. Tuchel then clenches his hands into fists and beams. “He is proud of the team,” said star striker Harry Kane. “We’ll go with him all the way to the end.”
Club president Herbert Hainer came out of the team cabin beaming shortly before midnight. “A tactical masterpiece. Thomas Tuchel did it excellently,” said the former Adidas boss. Overall, we haven’t had a good season so far, said Hainer, with a view to the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup. But: “Arsenal are not just walk-in customers. We are in the semi-finals. That shows how strong the team is.”
also read
In fact, Tuchel’s positioning, tactics and substitutions worked. He is the first German coach to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League with three different clubs: Paris St. Germain, FC Chelsea and Bayern. And the big winner of the evening.
“It means a lot, the semi-final is an important step,” said Tuchel about the victory. The coach was visibly moved. “The last four, that was fun. In the first half it was a bit like chess, the question was: who makes the first move, who sacrifices the first pawn? During the break I told the team to show more courage and more personality.”
And who will be Tuchel’s successor? Julians Nagelsmann’s agent Volker Struth confirmed in a podcast that Bayern are in talks with him. And there are other interested parties. “Our sporting management is having discussions,” said Hainer, without referring exclusively to Nagelsmann.
also read
The German Football Association (DFB) is also courting 36-year-old Nagelsmann and wants to keep him as national coach after the European Championships in Germany (June 14th to July 14th). Nagelsmann wants to make a decision in the coming days.
Imagine Tuchel winning the Champions League at the end of his farewell tour with Bayern. And Nagelsmann and the national team are eliminated early from the European Championships. It would be a crazy football story at the end of a very special season: former Bayern coach Nagelsmann replaces the current Tuchel.
Since this emotional and successful evening, a lot seems possible for FC Bayern. Sporty – and when it comes to coaching.