The Bayern star has said he was not out to exact revenge over the club who let him go to Germany on loan in the summer, and that his display opened his eyes more to his potential
Kingsley Coman has said that he knew he had the capacity to come on and shine for Bayern Munich as they turned around a 2-0 deficit to defeat Juventus 4-2 after extra-time and progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The winger had to make do with a place on the bench but came on to instigate a thrilling comeback that saw the German champions go through 6-4 on aggregate. Although he was not first choice for coach Pep Guardiola, the 19-year-old said that was not a problem for him.
“I always had great confidence in myself,” he told L’Equipe. “I think I can still do much more – there are plenty areas in which I could improve.”
The Catalan had told Coman that he had to be prepared to come off the bench to potentially turn the game, and the youngster did not find that a daunting task.
“There’s always pressure, but it’s a positive pressure,” he explained. “I didn’t have time to tell myself: ‘Yes, it’s a Champions League match, it’s important not to miss your chance.’
“There has to be a positive pressure – it’s in this kind of match you know where you are in comparison to other great players. And on the field there was many of them.
“I saw that I could bring a lot to a high-level game like that. I had to pay particular attention to certain elements, like any replacement, such as not losing the ball 30 metres from my goal.
“It went well on Wednesday, but now I have to prove it over time...”
Meanwhile, Coman does not think his performance was an act of retribution against Juve, who allowed him to join the Bavarians on a two-year loan at the start of the season, with a purchase option of €21 million included.
“Things went very well at Juventus. They made me work, to improve,” he added. “When I asked to leave, they had no problems.
“This match against them was just like any other game. I only played against friends like Paul [Pogba] and Pat [Evra]. But over 120 minutes, they was no friendship, they were my opponents.”
- Goal