Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben has insisted his side dominated Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg, despite losing 1-0 at the Bernabeu. Karim Benzema's first-half strike on the counter-attack proved decisive, but Robben believes Bayern controlled the game.
Speaking after the match, Robben said: 'We played well. Our opponents were Real Madrid, they're an excellent team, and we dominated them.' He expressed surprise at Madrid's defensive approach, adding: 'I expected more from Real Madrid. I expected them to come storming out of the blocks, but instead they sat and waited and allowed us to run the game.'
Bayern enjoyed 71 per cent possession and created several chances, with Mario Gotze forcing a late save from Iker Casillas. However, the reigning champions struggled to break down a stubborn Madrid defence marshalled by Sergio Ramos and Pepe.
Robben remained confident ahead of the second leg: 'We created good chances, one of them was excellent, with Mario Gotze. Now we'll just have to keep improving for the return leg. We'll go into the second leg with confidence.'
