Bayern fall short of Van Bommel's high standards

FC Bayern München captain Mark van Bommel insisted last season's runners-up are still not the finished article, despite having wrapped up their UEFA Champions League Group E campaign in style.

FC Basel 1893 were soundly beaten 3-0 at the Fußball Arena München as Bayern reaffirmed their superiority in the section, picking up a fifth victory as they eased into the knockout stages as group winners. Yet Van Bommel was not entirely satisfied with his team's display.

"It was important for us to finish the job," said the influential midfielder. "I didn't think the first 25 minutes were very good, though, and the last quarter of an hour wasn't good either. We're not as solid as we should be, but we won 3-0." Team-mate Philipp Lahm concurred, saying: "You could see again that we really wanted to win, but we also made too many mistakes."

The scoreline did slightly flatter Bayern, who might have found themselves behind but for a commanding display from up-and-coming goalkeeper Thomas Kraft. Making just his second UEFA Champions League appearance after his competition bow in the 3-2 defeat at AS Roma on Matchday 5, the 22-year-old was the platform for Bayern's success, crucially denying Alexander Frei and Marco Streller moments before Franck Ribéry gave the hosts a 35th-minute lead.

"For me, Rome was already a great experience, as today was, but it's a better feeling when you win," said Kraft, who will likely return to his role as back-up to Jörg Butt. "When I play, I want to show what I can do, prove myself, but now I have to wait until I can play again. Today I was happy not to be up against Franck Ribéry – he played really well and scored two good goals."

Ribéry's second came five minutes after the break, affording Bayern an even greater cushion after Anatoliy Tymoshchuk had doubled the German champions' advantage within two minutes of the opener.

"We didn't start the game well, but we took full advantage of two individual mistakes. We created a lot of chances and very often had an end-product to show for it," said forward Mario Gomez, who added that Louis van Gaal's men need fear no one in the knockout phase. "Last season we showed we had the quality to knock out big teams, and we can compete with the best again this season."