As of: March 14, 2024, 4:24 p.m
By: Simon Wittmann
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In the quarter-final defeat against Olympiacos Piraeus, FC Bayern around Maximilian Hennig (r.) showed a good performance for long stretches.
© IMAGO/ULMER
FC Bayern's U19s showed themselves to be equal in their elimination against Olympiakos.
Despite the disappointment, the players are looking forward.
Munich – cheering Greeks on one side, hanging heads at FC Bayern on the other.
The home team failed to make up for the three-goal deficit from the first half against Olympiacos Piraeus at the Bayern campus.
The FCB youngsters invested a lot that day, but in the end only the callous Greeks were rewarded.
“It hurts because we know we can win games like this,” said U17 world champion Maximilian Hennig in dismay after the game.
After a good initial phase, Piraeus turned the game on its head due to an individual mistake by another U17 world champion, goalkeeper Max Schmitt.
Afterwards, the people of Munich fell into a state of shock.
“We were offended.
“That shouldn’t happen to us,” explains Hennig.
With an average age of 17.5 years, the Bayern team is one of the youngest teams in the competition.
In this phase, Olympiacos' experience and ability made the difference.
The next step for the FCB talents: mastering the entry into the men's area
Eight minutes after the first goal it was already 0:3.
“At this level you are punished severely,” says the sporting director at the Bayern campus, Halil Altıntop.
In the second half, the Greeks sometimes resorted to unsporting behavior cleverly and, despite Robert Ramsak's goal, hardly gave Bayern a real chance to equalize.
“I want to become a professional in the first league.”
U17 world champion Maximilian Hennig about his footballing ambitions in the coming years
After this historic Youth League season, in which the U19s reached the quarter-finals for the first time, the talents are now looking forward.
Some youngsters want to join the men's division as early as summer.
The players are currently in perhaps the most important phase on the way to becoming professionals.
“If the boys know how to stay humble and continue to work hard on themselves, then we will see some players in higher leagues,” believes Altıntop.
“I’m pretty sure they’re getting closer to their goals and dreams.”
Hennig personally can also look back on a successful last year.
In addition to the European Championship and World Cup titles with the DFB selection, in which he played an important role in the left-back position, he was a player at FCB.
Even against Piraeus, the engine on Bayern's left side had little to complain about.
The 17-year-old has a clear goal for the future: “I want to become a professional in the first division.” Hennig knows that it will be a rocky road until then: “We have to be able to deal with precipitation.” The left-footer wants to “take part Happiness and hope take the step.” (Simon Wittmann)