Thomas Muller said Bayern Munich have nothing to be ashamed about after crashing out of the Champions League semifinals to Real Madrid on Tuesday, but admitted introspection will be needed to learn why they continue to come up just short.
A 2-2 draw in the second leg meant Bayern were one goal shy of reaching the final as Madrid went through 4-3 on aggregate.
Goalkeeper Sven Ulreich’s howler early in the second half allowed Karim Benzema to score Madrid’s decisive goal, after another defensive miscue also allowed the Spanish side to score in the first leg, leaving Muller to lament the errors.
“We played better than in Munich but we gave them a goal again,” he told German broadcaster Zdf. “And you can’t afford to do that over the two games.
“It was a crazy game and we invested everything into it. But in the end we were a little unlucky. Their goalkeeper Navas had a great game.
“Luck and misfortune are closely intertwined. This hurts a great deal, but we shouldn’t be ashamed.”
Bayern lifted the trophy in 2013 but have now fallen in the semifinals in four of the last five seasons, and Muller questioned his side’s inability to pass that hurdle.
“A lot more was possible,” Muller added after Bayern outshot their hosts 21-9 in the second leg. “We had a super chance to progress but we missed out again.
“We have so much quality in our squad, but we have to ask ourselves why we have missed out a lot, why we keep making these mistakes in the semifinals.”
