Heynckes: We have only ourselves to blame
Reuters - Saturday 19 May 2012, 23:59
Bayern Munich have only
themselves to blame for failing to lift the Champions League
trophy for the fifth time on Saturday after dominating against
Chelsea but losing 4-3 on penalties, coach Jupp Heynckes said.
Bayern had the upper hand for most of the 1-1 draw at their
own Allianz Arena but wasted a bagful of chances and an extra-
time penalty before the English club snatched the top European
club trophy in the penalty shootout.
"This was not about who won in the penalties," Heynckes told
reporters. "This was about us not using our chances to win the
game. It is purely our fault that we did not use our many
chances.
"My team played an outstanding game against an opponent who
played as we expected them to do," said the 67-year-old coach,
who won the title with Real Madrid in 1998.
This was the second consecutive season that Bayern were left
without any trophies.
They had though looked on track for their first Champions
League victory since 2001 when Thomas Muller headed in for a
much-deserved lead in the 83rd minute after the Bavarians played
cat and mouse with a defensive Chelsea for much of the game.
"It is difficult to put what we feel into words," a dejected
Muller told reporters. "This is football and we have seen it so
many times in the past that it is not always the team that
deserves it that holds up the trophy in the end."
Mario Gomez, Muller and Arjen Robben had earlier come close
several times.
Bayern then conceded an 88th-minute equaliser through Didier
Drogba, who later brought down Franck Ribery in the first half
of extra time for a penalty.
But instead of firing the Bavarians back into the lead,
Robben saw his spot-kick saved by goalkeeper Petr Cech before the
Dutchman refused to take a penalty in the shootout.
"We had three match points in this season and we did not
convert a single one," said goalkeeper Manuel Neuer after losing
the German league and Cup titles to Borussia Dortmund.
"If you see the game we played tonight you would have never
thought that Chelsea would walk away as the winners."
Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger missed their spot-kicks after Chelsea's Juan Mata, before Drogba scored the
winning penalty to send 17,500 English fans in the stadium into
a frenzy.
"We just could not figure out how to convert our many
opportunities. You have to score because if you don't you will
be punished," Heynckes added.
Bayern president Uli Hoeness was equally baffled.
"I have absolutely no explanation as to why we lost," he
told reporters. "We scored our goal at a great moment, then we
get a penalty and have a superb chance through Olic and then we
still can't do it.
"If you have that many chances you have to seal the deal."