Gomez shows pity after Bayern beat City

After netting twice in FC Bayern München's 2-0 UEFA Champions League Group A victory against Manchester City FC, striker Mario Gomez told UEFA.com that the Bavarians' magnificent current form is down to more than just his own impressive goalscoring feats.

"We kept another clean sheet and scored goals in attack, so we're in good shape," the Germany international told UEFA.com. Gomez has now scored a remarkable 11 goals in his last seven competitive outings, but emphasised a solid defence will prove equally important in his side's quest for domestic and European silverware.

"Normally in the Bundesliga the team which concedes the fewest goals wins the title and I think that's the usually the case in the Champions League as well," said the 26-year-old. Indeed, Bayern were the highest scorers in Germany's top flight last term with 81 goals but ultimately finished third, ten points behind Borussia Dortmund, who conceded just 22.

This year the four-time European champions appear to have struck the right balance under experienced new coach Jupp Heynckes; Tuesday night's victory was their tenth straight success and their tenth consecutive clean sheet.

After chasing the game early on, the German league leaders moved through the gears as the interval approached. "We had a few problems in the opening 15 to 20 minutes but after that we managed to dominate," explained Gomez, who crucially ensured his side's most potent spell did not go unrewarded.

Stunned by Bayern's quickfire double, the visitors struggled to respond following the restart and coach Roberto Mancini reacted with defensive substitutions to limit the damage. "It must be difficult being 2-0 down against a strong team like us that keeps the ball as well as we do," said Gomez.

City defender Micah Richards conceded that the result was probably a fair reflection of the two teams' performances: "I thought we played very well in the first half, but overall Bayern were the better side and deserved the win." The marauding right-back, who was involved in his side's only real sniff of goal through Edin Džeko four minutes in, also found time to praise man of the match Gomez: "I'd heard about his record and that he was a bit of a 'fox in the box'. Hopefully he can keep doing well, but obviously not against us next time."

While Richards and his colleagues go back to the drawing board ahead of their home clash against Villarreal CF on 18 October, Bayern have laid the foundations for a very successful campaign ahead. Top of the standings both domestically and in Europe, the Bavarians are nonetheless mindful that plenty can change in one of the most evenly-matched groups in this season's UEFA Champions League, as Gomez noted: "We've got off to a good start, but we haven't achieved anything yet."