Contra predicts more woe for Bayern

Getafe CF hero Cosmin Contra hailed his side's never-say-die spirit after his last-gasp strike earned the Spanish visitors a highly creditable 1-1 draw at FC Bayern München in the first leg of their UEFA Cup quarter-final tie.

Crucial strike
With the fourth official readying his board to signal time to be added on at the Fußball Arena München last night, Bayern looked like holding off what had been a concerted effort to level matters by Getafe – but they had not reckoned on Contra. Introduced with 12 minutes remaining, the Romanian international, a right-back by trade, had little time to make his mark before he collected the ball inside a packed penalty area. He feinted past one black shirt before chipping over Oliver Kahn and two defenders on the goalline and into the net. It was, he said, the goal "we thought we needed if we are to have a chance in the return".

Team ethos
A focus on the collective speaks volumes about Contra and his side, and the Getafe No2 insists it is part of their strength. "This season we have shown that we are a team capable of competing at a high level and if you ignore the opening minutes we did so again here in Munich," said the 32-year-old. "We struggled in the first half-hour, but we knew we would – we just had to get through it. We did, and for the rest of the match we played well and created chances. In a difficult game against one of the best sides in Europe we have shown great spirit."

Home fortress
It is not Getafe's first notable result away from home in this, their maiden campaign on the European stage, with wins at Tottenham Hotspur FC and SL Benfica already under their belts. The temptation may be for Michael Laudrup's team to rest on their away-goals advantage in the return, but Contra believes Bayern will witness more of the same. "We play the game according to our strengths as we always do. To do otherwise would be suicide for us, and it paid dividends tonight," he said. "The return is going to be hard. But Getafe tend to play well when big sides come to the Coliseum, and Bayern are a big side."