Niko Kovac Admits Bayern Munich Were 'Punished' By Clinical Hertha Berlin in First Loss This Season
Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovač was searching for positives after his side suffered their first defeat of the season against Hertha BSC on Friday, claiming the team were simply punished for their mistakes at the Olympiastadion.
A lapse in concentration from Jérôme Boateng saw the Bayern star concede a penalty midway through the first half, which Hertha captain Vedad Ibišević put away with ease.
Fingers were pointing at Berlin-born defender Boateng once again after he failed to track Valentino Lazaro's run forward. The Austrian would go on to put the ball on a plate for Ondrej Duda to seal the win and score his fifth league goal of the campaign.
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Bayern Munich boss Kovač found himself once again rueing the fact his side weren't clinical enough in the final third - a theme of his post-match interviews this season - but not before acknowledging the Reds made individual and tactical mistakes on Friday.
"The conversion rate is one of the reasons why we lost," Kovač said after the game, quoted by the club's official website. "Besides, we conceded two goals we shouldn't have allowed.
"We mustn't concede a penalty like this, we made a tactical mistake before the second goal. If you make mistakes you get punished, that's the way it is at this level.
"Still, we turned in a decent display. It's hard to find an explanation. We must convert our chances, but we mustn't start to decry everything. It just happens. Those who know Bayern will know we won't accept it and do everything to return to winning ways."
Bayern Munich will have to bounce back quickly after failing to win in the Bundesliga for the second time in just a matter of days, following their Bavarian derby draw against Augsburg.
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The Reds welcome Dutch giants Ajax to the Allianz Arena next week for the second group stage match in the Champions League. Bayern Munich then host Borussia Mönchengladbach ahead of the international break.
