Kompany praises Bayern’s composure after Kane double in DFB-Pokal

Vincent Kompany praised Bayern’s ability to remain calm after an early wondergoal from VfL Osnabruck threatened to unsettle them in their DFB-Pokal tie.

Harry Kane scored twice, including from the penalty spot, while Tom Bischof and Michael Olise were also on target as Bayern recovered to win 4-1 away from home.

The hosts’ spectacular opening goal created a lively atmosphere during the first 10 minutes, but Bayern gradually took control and secured their place in the next round.

“Yes, it went well, but the first goal was insane,” Kompany told ARD. “The way the goal was scored, that was just incredible. It really created a great atmosphere, especially in the first ten minutes.

“But we stayed calm. And above all, we played a solid second half. We knew beforehand that it wouldn’t be easy.”

Bayern have now conceded in their recent victories against VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund, as well as against VfL Osnabruck, meaning they again failed to keep a clean sheet.

Kompany, however, rejected the idea that Bayern’s central defenders should be held responsible for the goal. Instead, the Bayern head coach praised the way the home side competed, particularly in aerial challenges.

“I told them at halftime that you can’t easily win challenges in the air here, but rather when the ball is in play,” he said.

“Osnabruck does that so often, or teams from lower leagues. Their strikers are very good in that area, and you simply have to acknowledge that they did well.”

Bayern became increasingly dominant as the match went on and repeatedly exploited the space behind the Osnabruck defence. That pressure eventually produced the goals required to turn the tie into a comfortable victory.

Kompany said his players had identified and used those openings more effectively as the game progressed.

“We consistently found spaces. These spaces became larger later on, creating opportunities for us,” Kompany said.

“A 4-1 away win in the cup against a compact opponent is quite alright. Winning like that is good. Now we move on.”

Despite being satisfied with the result, Kompany insisted Bayern must continue to improve their performances as the season develops. He believes the team is already showing signs of good organisation, attacking threat and intensity, but acknowledged that maintaining those standards throughout matches remains difficult.

“We have good phases in our play where you can see that we’re already quite well-coordinated,” he said.

“Our goal threat is good, the intensity is good, but maintaining that level of performance isn’t easy. If that works even better, then we can talk about the details.”

Bayern’s attention now returns to the Bundesliga. Their next fixture is away to Schalke 04 at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday.