Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola insists his side were in control of their Champions League semi-final first leg before Barcelona scored three late goals to win 3-0 at the Nou Camp.
Lionel Messi’s 77th and 80th-minute goals and Neymar’s injury-time strike put the Catalans in charge of the tie.
“We controlled the game well up until their first goal. We lost our grip after that though,” said Guardiola. You can turn around a one or two-goal deficit, but three is tough.”
It was the first time Guardiola had managed a team against Barcelona since departing in 2012 having won 14 trophies in his four years in charge at the Nou Camp.
For most of the match Bayern kept Barcelona at bay, and they finished the match with 55% of possession.
But the hosts’ late blitz means Bayern Munich will need to emulate Deportivo la Coruna’s heroics in beating AC Milan in the 2004 quarter-finals – the only time a team have overturned a three-goal deficit after the first leg of a Champions League tie – if they are to progress to the final at Barca’s expense.
Chairman Karl Heinz Rummenigge still believes Bayern – who recovered from a 3-1 first-leg defeat away to Porto in the previous round – can produce a comeback.
“We still have a game – and we are Bayern Munich. Sometimes Bayern produce footballing miracles,” he said.