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Müller delighted with Bayern spirit

FC Bayern München's positive attitude helped them recover from an early setback at FC Basel 1893, according to Thomas Müller, who won the penalty that got them back in the game.

Müller delighted with Bayern spirit
Müller delighted with Bayern spirit ©UEFA.com

Forward Thomas Müller hailed FC Bayern München's "positive mentality" after the Bavarian side came from behind to defeat FC Basel 1893 in Switzerland.

The German titleholders have struggled to score freely of late and looked to be encountering familiar problems when they fell behind despite having dominated the opening passages. Müller felt the early blow – delivered by Alexander Frei on 18 minutes – was avoidable. "We started well in the first 15 minutes, but yet again we couldn't score," rued the German international. "If we had done, it would have made things a lot easier, but Basel scored a great goal and that made it difficult for us because they were then able to sit back and counter."

Bayern remained composed, however, and clinched the points courtesy of Bastian Schweinsteiger's second-half double, ensuring they top Group E with maximum points from two matches. "The victory was very important," the 21-year-old Müller said. "Six points out of six was our target before the game and that's what we've achieved. It was very hard work but we showed we had the right mentality to come back and that gives us confidence going forward."

Müller's team-mate Miroslav Klose often found himself isolated in attack without the support of injured wingers Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben, but the experienced striker said he had been fully expecting a difficult evening. "They had their fans behind them and that made it harder for us," the former SV Werder Bremen forward explained. "We conceded the opener due to a mistake. That gave them added impetus and it held us up somewhat."

The goal in question was sublime from a Basel point of view. Marco Streller's clever back-heel and Frei's subsequent curling finish into the top corner were a joy to behold, although the aesthetics of that strike were of little consequence without the points to match, according to the scorer. "We came away with nothing at all because we conceded a silly goal at the end," lamented the Swiss international after registering his first strike in the competition. "Unfortunately, against teams of that quality, you can't afford to make any mistakes."

Bayern were handed a route back when Müller was tripped by Benjamin Huggel in the box early in the second half, enabling Schweinsteiger to coolly dispatch the penalty. The Germany midfielder then grabbed his second in the dying moments, rewarding last season's finalists for their perseverance. "We're always good for a late goal," reflected Müller. "We might be struggling to find the target a bit at the moment but we've won a couple of games in the final minute already this season."