Sports
        

Center

Van Bommel blasts Bayern after blowing away Basel

Updated: 2010-12-10 08:03

(China Daily)

Twitter Facebook Myspace Yahoo! Linkedin Mixx

Van Bommel blasts Bayern after blowing away Basel
FC Basel's Swedish defender, Behrang Safari (front), and Bayern Munich's Ukrainian midfielder, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, vie for the ball during their UEFA Champions League Group E match at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday. Bayern won 3-0. [Photo/Agencies]

MUNICH, Germany - Coach Louis van Gaal was full of praise after Bayern Munich's fifth Champions League win which saw it blow off Basel 3-0, but captain Mark van Bommel was far from impressed with the performance.

A pair of goals from Franck Ribery - his first for the club since April - and a simple tap in by Ukraine star Anatoliy Tymoshchuk sealed the win in Munich on Wednesday.

Last season's finalist goes through as Group E winner, but tougher tests await in February's round of 16, which will be drawn on Dec 17 in Nyon, and van Bommel was not impressed after his team beat a limited Basel side.

"We started this game badly, there was not enough movement and calls for the ball until Franck opened the scoring," said the disgruntled van Bommel.

"We should have scored more goals, but it is important now to take some confidence for our (next Bundesliga) match against St. Pauli."

Bayern progresses alongside AS Roma to the knock-out stages while Basel finishes third with the consolation of a place in the Europa League.

"Not many sides have managed to win five of their group games," beamed van Gaal.

"We scored three goals, so I am very happy.

"This win will also give us some self-confidence for the games ahead."

But all is not rosy with the German champion.

There are already real concerns around the Allianz Arena about qualifying for next season's competition and Bayern needs to finish in the German league's top two to be sure of a place in European soccer's most lucrative tournament.

Its 2-0 defeat at German league struggler Schalke last Saturday leaves it seventh in the Bundesliga and 17 points behind surprise leader Dortmund with van Gaal already admitting the gap may be too big to bridge.

The Germans have now won their past seven European home games, but there is no denying they are erratic on occasions and have lost four times in the Bundesliga this season.

Bayern is set to welcome back long-term injury victims Dutch playmaker Arjen Robben, Croatia striker Ivica Olic and Germany veteran Miroslav Klose in January.

Agence France-Presse

E-paper

Ear We Go

China and the world set to embrace the merciful, peaceful year of rabbit

Preview of the coming issue
Carrefour finds the going tough in China
Maid to Order

European Edition

Specials

Mysteries written in blood

Historical records and Caucasian features of locals suggest link with Roman Empire.

Winning Charm

Coastal Yantai banks on little things that matter to grow

New rules to hit property market

The State Council launched a new round of measures to rein in property prices.

Top 10 of 2010
China Daily in Europe
The Confucius connection