Kompany: Bayern ‘dominated’ for 30 minutes against Inter, this gives us ‘hope’ for return leg

MUNICH, GERMANY – APRIL 08: Vincent Kompany, Head Coach of Bayern Munich, shakes hands with Simone Inzaghi, Head Coach of FC Internazionale, prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final First Leg match between FC Bayern München and FC Internazionale Milano at Fussball Arena Muenchen on April 08, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Vincent Kompany expressed his frustration following his side’s 2-1 defeat to Inter in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, feeling that his team could have scored at least ‘one or two goals’ in the opening 30 minutes.

The Bundesliga giants began the game with aggressive pressing, testing Inter goalkeeper Yan Sommer multiple times. Harry Kane squandered their best chance, hitting the post from a great position.

Thomas Muller appeared to have put Bayern back on track with his equaliser, but his goal was quickly followed by Davide Frattesi’s winning strike. When asked why he didn’t start the club veteran, Kompany explained that he made the decision he believed was best for his team.

Kompany: Inter were ‘very strong’, but Bayern could’ve scored ‘one or two goals’

“We started the match well, we dominated the game in the first 30 minutes and could have scored one or two goals, maybe even more,” Kompany said at a post-match press conference attended by Football Italia.

“Then in the second half, we were dominant, we created chances, but in the end, we know Thomas always plays an important role.

“When he came on, he found the equaliser. We prepared ourselves as best as possible for this match, and every decision was based on football reasons.

“Inter were very strong today, we were missing Musiala: with Guerreiro in his position, we wanted to find the right balance. We need every player to achieve our goals, and I think Guerreiro did a good job today, just like Muller. Many players played well, only the result wasn’t right.

“I don’t want to always talk about injuries, but we have five or six. I had these players available and made the substitutions thinking about the return leg as well. Kim had a yellow card, and that’s an aspect to consider.”

However, Kompany insisted he remains confident about the prospect of turning the tie around in the second leg at San Siro, considering the goalscoring chances they could have capitalised on.

“I’ve said it many times before, if we need to defend, we defend,” he continued.

“Today, when we had to do it, we didn’t give much away to the opponent. We could have done better in possession, but our opponent was strong. We could have scored more early on, but this gives us hope when thinking about Milan.

“There are moments when you lose focus, and they took advantage of one.

“We lost 2-1, and I can’t change that result, but it wouldn’t be right to think that this 2-1 was due to our inability to win this match, that’s not what happened tonight. The result says Inter, we’ll see next week.”