Former Bayern Munich striker, Mario Gomez, has recounted his experience during an encounter with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
The former Bayern man spoke ahead of Arsenal’s strip to Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
According to him, they had to hold on and fight to be able to survive the hostile atmosphere in the second leg 2011/12 Champions League semifinal clash with Real Madrid.
Gomez revealed how he and his teammates weathered the storm at the Santiago Bernabeu.
In an interview with Relevo, Gomez said the then-Bayern Munich manager, Jupp Heynckes, had to tell them to do all they could to survive the first 10 minutes at Santiago Bernabeu.
He recalled, “In the pre-match meeting, Heynckes told us: ‘Guys, there’s only one thing today: survive. We have to survive the first 10 minutes because this stadium is something else.
“‘You’ll notice it, the energy they give their players at the start of the match… You’ll never experience anything like this. We have to hold on and fight. We can’t let them score.’
“So we started and… Ten minutes in, 2-0 for Real Madrid.’’
That season, Bayern managed to beat Real Madrid, but could not win the trophy as Chelsea defeated them in the final on penalties.
