Jupp Heynckes plays down setting Champions League win record

Jupp Heynckes plays down setting Champions League win record

Bayern Munich’s record-breaking coach Jupp Heynckes played down his achievement and insisted what pleased him more was seeing his side improve.

The veteran boss became the first manager to win 11 consecutive Champions League matches with the 3-1 victory over Besiktas in Istanbul easing them into a seventh quarter-final in a row 8-1 on aggregate.

Only other two coaches have reached double figure winning runs in the competition proper, Louis van Gaal (Barcelona and Bayern, May 2000 to September 2009) and Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid, April 2014 to February 2015).

“Managers think differently than the media,” he told a press conference when asked about the feat.

“It turns out I had a record of scoring in successive home games but I only learned about it when (Robert) Lewandowski came close breaking it.

“For me, it’s about playing good football, seeing my team improve and offering a good spectacle.”

There was not much of a spectacle to be had in Turkey, however, with the German club taking a 5-0 lead into the second leg.

They never came close to being troubled, taking a 2-0 lead through Thiago Alcantara and a Gokhan Gonul own goal and then seeing substitute Sandro Wagner restore their two-goal cushion after Vagner Love’s first Champions League knockout stage goal.

“It was a convincing result. Besiktas hadn’t lost here in the Champions League so it wasn’t easy,” added Heynckes.

“We scored at the right times and opened up a 7-0 aggregate lead. It’s normal that we dropped off a little.

“I said before the game that we needed to stay disciplined and not allow ourselves to be provoked by their physicality.

“That’s the only negative today, that we picked up too many yellows.”

Besiktas coach Senol Gunes felt his players made the best of a difficult situation.

“We lost today, but we were not beaten in terms of the game play. My players fought hard but they could have been more careful,” he said.

“We do not want to boast about our unbeaten group run and do not want to dwell on this elimination. We want to keep on being on this stage next year.”

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