Jupp Heynckes congratulated his Bayern Munich players on a professional job well done as a 0-0 draw at home to Sevilla booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals.
Quite apart from the remarkable drama that gripped ties elsewhere in Europe this week, Bayern ensured their 2-1 advantage from the first leg at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was rarely under threat in a controlled performance.
Joaquin Correa came closest to making Sevilla dream when he headed a free-kick from Ever Banega against the crossbar before the hour, but the Argentinian forward finished the game by being sent off for a stoppage-time lunge on Javi Martinez.
"I’m very happy that we didn't concede because that's something I demanded from my team," said Bayern boss Heynckes.
"You have to keep a clean sheet in games like this. The 0-0 draw was enough for us to go through.
"We didn't let ourselves get flustered and become nervous. Sevilla had some good moments, but sometimes you just need to keep a clean sheet.
"Furthermore, none of our players will be suspended for the semi-final. That was very important for me."
Jupp after : "The semi-final games will be tough - but we have the ambition and the motivation to face up to those challenges." April 11, 2018
The Bundesliga champions' prospective semi-final opponents are Liverpool, Roma and Real Madrid – the holders having overcome an almighty scare to squeeze past Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Roma and Liverpool put out the heavily tipped Barcelona and Manchester City respectively and Heynckes sees danger lurking all around in Friday's draw.
"No coach ever has a preference [on who they'd like to draw in the semi-final]," he added.
"Look at what happened to Barcelona. The games will be tight.
"Sevilla played a good game and showed they had belief, despite losing the first leg 2-1. We showed fight with our performance.
"You saw in Manchester and Rome that anything can happen. You cannot underestimate any team that has qualified for the semi-finals. Of course, we are ambitious and want to reach the final."
