Jupp Heynckes (Bayern’s coach) said it was “a magical night,” and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge felt he had witnessed “the most emotion-laden match of my career.” Bayern’s Champions League semi-final return away to Real Madrid called for strong nerves – and the men from Munich held theirs to book a date with Chelsea at the Allianz Arena on 19 May. “We’re at home and we want to win,” declared Bastian Schweinsteiger, scorer of the decisive penalty in the shootout.
Reaction to Real Madrid v Bayern
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: “We’re incredibly happy and incredibly proud. The team deserves huge credit because it’s an unbelievable achievement. That was football at its very best, at the highest level. All in all, it was the most intense and emotional-laden match I’ve witnessed in my career, and that’s almost 40 years.”
Uli Hoeneß: “When Lahm missed, I thought I was going to die. It’s turned out to be a fantastic season after all. I’ve never seen so many clear-cut chances in a semi-final before, unbelievable. This was the game to end all games. Real against Bayern, that’s obviously a highlight you’ll only experience a couple of times in your life.”
Jupp Heynckes: “That was a magical night. We were in real trouble in the first 15 minutes, but after that we played outstanding football for long periods. I’m specially delighted for my players and the club management.”
Bastian Schweinsteiger: “We’re all dead, but overjoyed. Ever since it was announced that the final would be in Munich, with all had only one target: to get there! Now we have one more match at home, and we want to win it. The only thing going through my head was putting the ball in the net.”
Manuel Neuer: “We’ve all worked very hard for this. In both games, we were on a par with them at the very least, and at the end of the day, we deserved to win. I was determined to save those penalties, although obviously luck plays its part. It’s great we have two finals ahead of us.”
Mario Gomez: “It was a dream which has become reality. I’m speechless, I’m overwhelmed. In this atmosphere and in this situation, there’s nothing better than getting through in a penalty shootout.”
Sami Khedira (Real Madrid): “Here on our home ground we’ve come close, but at the end of the day we’ve been unlucky in the penalty shootout. We’re all gutted. You don’t get the chance of making the final everyday. This will take some getting over.”
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