Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany attempted to focus on the positives of Bayern Munich‘s Champions League campaign after they bowed out in the semifinals to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
A 1-1 draw in Munich gave PSG, the defending champion, a 6-5 win on aggregate after edging their encounter 5-4 in the first leg in Paris last week.
– Ogden: PSG are on brink of greatness if they can win Champions League again
– Total recall: PSG backs up best team in world talk
– VAR review: Why weren’t PSG penalized for apparent handballs?
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia raced clear after playing a simple one-two with Fabián Ruiz in midfield, then picked out the unmarked Ousmane Dembélé to sweep the ball in under the crossbar in the third minute of the semifinal second leg.
By the time Harry Kane equalized in stoppage time it was too late to keep alive Bayern’s dream of a Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League treble.
It meant there would be no seventh European title this season for Bayern. However, it marked an improvement after exiting the competition at the quarterfinal stage in four of the last five seasons, including last year.
“We made progress this season,” Kompany said. “We have to do it again.”
He added: “I don’t have the ability to be disappointed for long. In the end we lost two very, very tight games against a very good opponent. We needed to be more decisive.
“Congratulations to Paris. The Champions League is over for us this season, but there will be another chance — and that’s a motivation for me.”
Bayern’s players complained the already-booked Nuno Mendes should have been booked again when the ball hit his arm in the first half, but referee João Pinheiro blew instead for a handball from Konrad Laimer.
There were more protests shortly afterward when Vitinha struck teammate João Neves’ arm with the ball in the penalty area with a clearance. As it was another PSG player that had made the clearance, it was not deemed to be handball.
Kompany played down the importance of the referee’s calls, though he also said more time should have been played in stoppage time.
While Bayern dominated possession, PSG was more efficient, with Désiré Doué and Kvaratskhelia keeping Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer alert after the break.
“PSG were killers with their five goals and how they scored [last week],” Neuer said. “That’s what we needed today. I think we were close to the final but couldn’t finish the job.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
