After the cup shock and the end of all triple dreams, Thomas Tuchel congratulated his fellow coach Christian Streich and immediately disappeared into the dressing room.
National player Jamal Musiala had to be consoled on the pitch for causing the decisive hand penalty in the 1:2 (1:1) quarterfinals against the jubilant SC Freiburg. In his second game with the new club, Tuchel was given a serious mood dampener – in contrast to the Freiburg team.
“It was supposed to be like that today, but I don’t know if it was deserved, but that doesn’t matter,” said Tuchel on Sky. The “ultimate greed, the ultimate hunger” was missing. Thomas Müller spoke on the Sky microphone of disillusionment and “brutal disappointment. You’re standing there with this pile of broken pieces and you know it’s over in the DFB Cup again this year. Of course that scratches your sense of honor”.
“Team spirit makes it possible”
The people of Breisgau danced euphorically around their cup hero Lucas Höler, who converted the penalty in a dramatic final phase (90.5). It was the first victory ever for the sports club in Munich. In front of 75,000 spectators, the Freiburg team countered the opening goal by Dayot Upamecano with a header and physical effort (19′) with a dream goal from Nicolas Höfler (27′). “I no longer have a voice,” said Matthias Ginter on Sky. “This team spirit makes it possible.”
Three days after the demonstration of power in the Bundesliga with the 4-2 win against Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel’s first title knockout followed at Bayern. – the next difficult test is next week with the quarter-finals in the Champions League against Manchester City.
Shortly before the kick-off, Tuchel had left no doubt about Bayern’s high goals. “It’s sensational to play in Berlin, we want to win the thing,” said the 2017 cup winner with Borussia Dortmund on Sky. In the early stages, his team struggled against Freiburg, who were well-adjusted by coach Christian Streich. At the first goal approach, Leroy Sané missed a shot from a distance (12th).
After the national player’s second attempt (19th), the following corner helped Bayern: Kimmich brought the ball to the rushing Upamecano, who used his body vehemently and hit it. Tuchel clapped his hands energetically. The Freiburg protested unsuccessfully to referee Harm Osmers, who did not check the scene again. Streich complained about the support of the French vice world champion on the sidelines with gestures.
Höfler equalizes
The guests were only partially dissuaded from the “flight forward” announced by the Freiburg coach – because the “rabbit in front of the queue would be wrong”. Bayern failed to bring calm into the game after the lead. After several Freiburg passes in the Bayern penalty area, Kingsley Coman clarified insufficiently. The ball bounced at Höfler’s feet, and the 33-year-old overcame Yann Sommer in the Bayern goal with a powerful long-range shot. On the VIP stand, the faces of the Bayern bosses around Oliver Kahn darkened.
In contrast to the sometimes intoxicating fast-paced football against BVB at the weekend, the Munich team did not find their well-known dominance even after the equalizer. In the meantime, Freiburg were equal, Lucas Höler appeared in a promising position in front of Sommer just before the break, but just missed the ball (41st). Record cup player and captain Thomas Müller was denied by Freiburg defense chief Matthias Ginter, who cleared the line (45.2).
“Bayern controls the game, Freiburg defends passionately,” said national coach Hansi Flick at half-time on Sky. After the restart, Bayern increased the pressure on the Freiburg goal, the Breisgau team managed to relieve the pressure less often. But Bayern lacked the goals. Tuchel reacted after just over an hour and brought Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry into the game, just before Benjamin Pavard had hit the bar with a head (62nd).
In the closing stages, the game was played almost exclusively in the Freiburg half, with Sadio Mané also coming on from Tuchel (79′). Bayern hardly created any big chances to score. Musiala was responsible for the hand penalty, which was heavily questioned by the Bayern pros.
