Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti not worried about second-placed finish

Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti does not believe finishing second in Group D behind Atletico Madrid should prove too much of an obstacle to his side's Champions League ambitions.

Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti not worried about second-placed finish

Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti does not believe finishing second in Group D behind Atletico Madrid should prove too much of an obstacle to his side's Champions League ambitions.

The Germans were already unable to overtake Atletico for top spot and therefore seeding in the knockout stage draw ahead of Tuesday night's showdown at the Allianz Arena.

Robert Lewandowski's first-half free-kick proved enough to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 win and end the Spanish side's hopes of finishing their Champions League group campaign with six straight victories.

Ancelotti, though, feels all of the sides which have progressed to the last 16 are formidable opponents.

"Our objective was to finish first in the group, but I don't think it will change much. There isn't much difference between the first and second-placed teams. Now we have to wait for the draw," he said at a press conference.

Bayern were not able to make the most of their possession as the match wore on.

Ancelotti, however, was happy enough with the job done. The Italian coach continued: "I think we played well. We had good control of the game and prevented their counter attack.

"In the end the result wasn't important, but the performance gives us confidence for the coming games, although we still need to improve further."

Atletico coach Diego Simeone made the expected changes to his side, but felt overall the group stages had given last season's runners-up plenty on which to build for the latter stages.

"The first half was a different story to the second and we improved a lot," he said.

"In the second period we looked better and it was more even and we come away with a positive feeling from our final 15 minutes and at the end of the match there was the chance we could still get a draw.

"We achieved good results in Holland and Russia (earlier in the group stages) and I think we have played very well on the road so far, which is what had put us in the position we were in coming into this game."

more courts articles

Football fan given banning order after mocking Munich air disaster Football fan given banning order after mocking Munich air disaster
Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van

More in this section

Mujaguzi stunner halts Kerry's unbeaten run Mujaguzi stunner halts Kerry's unbeaten run
Bray Wanderers v Longford Town - SSE Airtricity Men's First Division Third consecutive win for Bray as they overcome Treaty
Republic of Ireland Press Conference Canham: 'We believe we’re doing the right thing and hope fans trust the process'
Sport Push Notifications

By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser.

Sign Up
Sport
Newsletter

Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited