Hitzfeld: 'Bayern are world's best'

Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld declared his FC Bayern München team the "best in the world" after watching them come from behind to beat Real Madrid CF in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final meeting.

'We always beat them'
Two goals in the last eight minutes completed a remarkable turnaround for the European champions, who have now beaten Madrid six times in the last three seasons. A delighted Hitzfeld said: "I don't understand all this discussion about Madrid being the best in the world - we always beat them. We deserved the victory."

Late recovery
Madrid wing-back Geremi had put the visitors ahead in the eleventh minute as the Spanish side turned on the style. The hosts' hopes looked forlorn when Steffen Effenberg missed a penalty 18 minutes from time, but the Bayern captain made amends by powering home an equaliser ten minutes later. Substitute Claudio Pizarro completed the recovery with a winning goal in the 88th-minute.

'Very proud'
Hitzfeld acknowledged that the Spanish visitors had been the stronger side before Bayern's never-say-die attitude saw them recover from the brink of defeat. "The match began unluckily for us but I'm very proud that we recovered - especially after missing the penalty kick," said Hitzfeld. "It says much about the character of my team."

'German style won'
Hitzfeld's opposite number, Vicente del Bosque, found the late turn in fortunes hard to swallow. "It's very painful for us - the typically German style of football won again," said the Madrid coach, who knows his side still have plenty to play for. "But anything is possible in the second leg."

Kovac unsure
The two meet again in Spain next Wednesday to decide who progresses to the semi-final stage, but Bayern's Robert Kovac, who will miss the second leg after picking up a booking tonight, shares Del Bosque's uncertainty over the outcome, saying: "The result was very important but anything could happen next week."

Self belief
Nevertheless, Pizarro's late winner gives Bayern a big advantage ahead of the return match, and the goalscorer claimed self-belief was the key for his team-mates' recovery: "We only started to play in the second half but always believed in ourselves." That belief will have to run deep if Bayern are to survive at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.