BAYERN CAPTAIN Philipp Lahm says his side will bounce back from their dramatic Champions League final loss to Chelsea.
The German side lost on penalties at the end of an engrossing contest in Munich, but Lahm believes Bayern are well placed to recover and challenge for future honours.
Bayern’s Thomas Mueller broke the deadlock on 83 minutes before Didier Drogba brought Chelsea back from the dead with a header two minutes from time. Arjen Robben had a soft penalty saved by Petr Cech in the fifth minute of extra time before Drogba struck the winning attempt in a tense shootout.
“We’re bitter about the result,” Lahm said. ”We wanted to win the Champions League, but we just fell short.
“If you want to take any positives from the defeat, then it’s the fact that our team is currently in the best shape that it’s been in for a long time. We’re going to play for the next years with the same group of players and after this defeat we’re more hungry for trophies.
“Nevertheless it has been a very disappointing evening for us.”
Bayern president Ulrich Hoeness admitted he was struggling to come to terms with the result after Bayern dominated for lengthy periods and missed a host of chances.
“You know yourself how the game went,” Hoeness said. ”In the past you talked about such a game months afterwards. Nowadays you just remember the result, Champions League winner 2012, Chelsea. Nobody can understand how they have done it, Chelsea probably cannot understand themselves, but that is football.
“We have to accept that, and it’s going to be very tough to recover from this disappointment.”
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who saved a penalty and converted a spot kick in the shootout, said every player was hurting just as much as Robben.
“The team which played better lost and, because of that, the defeat really hurts. There’s a complete emptiness in all of us.
“We’re very disappointed. We have not talked much in the locker room since the final whistle.”
Bayern ended the season trophyless having finished second in the Bundesliga to Borussia Dortmund, who also defeated the Bavarian-based side in the German Cup final.
