Niko Kovac 'Annoyed' by Bayern Munich's Performance in Dramatic DFB-Pokal Victory Over Heidenheim

Bayern Munich manager Nico Kovac has said he was annoyed by his side's poor game management, saying they should not have required luck to overcome Bundesliga II side Heidenheim in the DFB-Pokal clash on Wednesday. 

The Bavarians eventually booked themselves a place in the semi-finals, but made things difficult for themselves when Niklas Sule saw red immediately after Leon Goretzka's early opener. 

They found themselves trailing 2-1 at the break, and although strikes from Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry seemingly put them in control midway through the second half, they struggled to see out the match, and remarkably found themselves pegged back at 4-4 with the game drawing to a close. 

Lewandowksi's late penalty would eventually put things to bed, but ahead of a potentially decisive clash with Borussia Dortmund at the weekend, Kovac perhaps had reason to be concerned with his side's slack performance, despite the handicap. 

"The red card changed our calculations, so we had to react and change to 4-4-1 to get some compactness," he said, via Goal. "With the change in the second half, we got into the game better, then turned it. 

"What annoys me absolutely is that you cannot manage leading 4-2 and then we get into trouble.

"It was wild, an open game, which I do not like in shape. Finally, we have a bit of luck, which you need in the cup. I have never experienced such a game."

Having eventually moved one step closer to a third German cup in six years, Bayern will host Lucien Favre's Dortmund on Saturday, looking to reclaim the top spot and win the Bundesliga trophy for a record seventh straight season.