by Oliver Trust

BERLIN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A curious mood swept through the Munich arena following a 3-2 defeat to German first-flight bottom side Bochum.

Ahead of the delicate UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday evening, the 2020 treble winners seemed stuck between "in-mid-air" and "got off lightly" feelings.

Because Leverkusen simultaneously lost at home to Bremen, 2-0, the Bavarians maintained their eight-point lead in the national league. They avoided greater turmoil before Tuesday's encounter, but any relief was overshadowed by the disappointment of squandering a 2-0 lead, not to mention the red-card ban for midfielder Joao Palhinha.

While club icon Thomas Muller assumed, Bayern board member Max Eberl took a pragmatic approach. "We won't be sitting on our sofa with a smile tonight."

While failing to do "our homework, we should tick off that game and turn our heads to Tuesday and the game in Leverkusen."

"As a fact, both teams go into the decisive match in the Champions League having to digest a defeat," the former defender said, but he suggested the most likely outcome might "turn into more than just a blue eye for Leverkusen."

Eberl refused to see Bayern's 3-0 lead from the first leg as a guarantee, stressing that "it remains a hard nut to crack despite our advantage."

The official called for a "realistic working through" of the recent league setback.

Unexpectedly getting away with a disappointing performance between vital Champions League matches isn't a free pass to return to normal routines, the 51-year-old said.

Under fire for changing his lineup in ten positions, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany admitted, "There is no reason to feel better because Leverkusen lost too."

The former Citizen defender said it might be a distraction "that we already have in mind what's our job in Leverkusen," adding that this next task "seems the all-deciding" one.

All his statements, he insisted, were not meant as excuses. "It remains a fact; we should be able to run this game with ten men."

Eberl said Bayern is expecting a heated atmosphere "with Leverkusen trying everything possible to achieve an early score." He added that it's the Bavarians' job to withstand that and "at the same time play football ourselves."

Amid well-deserved criticism for the uninspired performance against Bochum, "it's not less important to get back to entirely focus on Tuesday's issue."

In his typical fashion, striker veteran Muller claimed he had already forgotten the "game we just played. To keep on talking about it doesn't help."

Three Lions captain Harry Kane offered a different perspective. "After every poor game, we managed to get back to full strength and concentration. Poor games always followed a good answer, a performance driven by determination and passion," the former Spurs spearhead said. Enditem

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