Bundesliga

2020-08-19T22:00:00Z

Davies: "Reaching the Champions League final is a dream come true"

Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies (r.) is all smiles having reached the UEFA Champions League final in his first full season with the record Bundesliga champions.
Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies (r.) is all smiles having reached the UEFA Champions League final in his first full season with the record Bundesliga champions.

Bayern Munich whizzkid Alphonso Davies has described reaching the UEFA Champions League final as "a dream come true", and predicts goals galore when his side go up against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night.

Bayern ousted another French side, Lyon, 3-0 in the semi-finals on Wednesday, while PSG saw off German outfit RB Leipzig on Tuesday to set up a mouth-watering clash between the reigning Bundesliga and Ligue 1 champions.

Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski got the goals that secured Bayern a place in their 11th European Cup or Champions League final, and while Davies wasn't on the scoresheet he more than played his part by helping his side keep a clean sheet and causing Lyon all manner of headaches with his pace and trickery down the left flank.

bundesliga.com rounds up the reaction after Bayern's 28th win in their last 29 outings in all competitions…

Alphonso Davies (Bayern left-back): "It all comes down to the will to win the game. For me, it's a dream come true actually. Playing in the Champions League and making it to the final is everything you can ask for. It feels good, everyone's happy, everyone's playing well. We know we're playing PSG, they're a good team so we can celebrate a little now but we'll focus on the next game. It's going to be a good game, there's definitely going to be goals. But this is what you dream of as a footballer, playing against the best in Europe and we're able to do that, so I'm excited."

Serge Gnabry (Bayern forward): "You could see that Lyon wanted to win and weren't here to make up the numbers. We were a bit lucky at the start, Manu saved well and then they hit the post. The first couple of minutes we struggled a little bit. But defensively we were very strong, and going forward as well. In the first half, the key was finding space in between their defence and midfield, with the five at the back. My goal came at the right time to give us a bit of confidence, and fortunately we took a 2-0 lead into the break before Lewy finished the job late on. Now we want to win the competition. We 100 per cent want to win this title and that's our goal, to take the title on Sunday."

Manuel Neuer (Bayern goalkeeper and captain): "We were a bit lucky not to go behind early on but then we showed our quality. We tried to put Lyon under pressure and created some good chances. It was a great strike from Gnabry that came at the right time. We're delighted to be in the final against Paris. We've fought so hard to reach another final and of course we want to win."

Serge Gnabry (l.) struck his eighth and ninth Champions League goals of the season to help Bayern get the better of Lyon and set up a clash with PSG in Sunday's final.

Kingsley Coman (Bayern winger who came through the PSG youth ranks): "It's fantastic to reach the final, and now it's up to us to win it. We haven't got the job done yet. If we don't win, I'm not saying it will all have been for nothing, but there is an element of that. We knew it would be tough against Lyon, because they knocked out Juventus and Manchester City. They played to their strengths, but luckily for us they didn't score, and we got that first goal. We did a good job but they played well, and 3-0 is perhaps a bit harsh on them.

[on facing his boyhood club in the final]
"We'll press them. Barcelona are a team who like to keep the ball and we pressed them, so I think it'll be the same against PSG. We'll put them under as much pressure as possible. It's a great tie. But make no mistake, my heart is 100 per cent Bayern today. It'll be a huge game, with lots of a big names, and hopefully lots of goals."

Benjamin Pavard (Bayern right-back): "My ankle's feeling fine, my recovery is three weeks ahead of schedule. Every morning, in my room, I'd listen to the Champions League anthem, because I wanted to be there for the team. We played really well and we're happy to be in the final. Now we have to win it! I'm very happy that we're playing against Paris, a French team. It'll be a very good game between two top teams. We're not afraid of anyone, we're Bayern Munich."

Hansi Flick (Bayern head coach): "We knew it would be difficult, they came in off the back of great performances against City and Juventus. They are strong tactically and they caused us problems early on. We know we need to defend better. We said before the game that we couldn't afford to give the ball away easily, but we did.

[on Jerome Boateng's half-time substitution]
"Jerome suffered a muscular injury, which is why he came off at the break.

[on Sunday's final against PSG]
"Paris are a great team, they fought their way into the semi-final and then reached the final. We will analyse some things, we know they have quick players. We will look to organise our defence, but we know our biggest strength is putting our opponents under pressure."

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