"Kingsley Coman key for Bayern Munich" - Julian Nagelsmann
Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann has hailed the importance of France international Kingsley Coman after the 25-year-old rescued a 1-1 draw with Red Bull Salzburg in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg meeting.
It was Coman that famously delivered the only goal of the game in the 2019-20 Champions League final, and he is quickly becoming the club's go-to man in Europe.
His latest heroics ensured that Bayern left Austria with the tie level at the halfway stage, salvaging what looks like a crucial draw before the return leg at the Allianz Arena in three weeks' time.
After a difficult first half that saw the German champions trailing after just 21 minutes, Nagelsmann was delighted with how his side responded and reserved special praise for Coman - not only for grabbing a 90th-minute equaliser but also for his never-say-die attitude.
"He didn't have a good first 25 minutes but managed to work his way back into the game and had a great second half," said the Bayern coach of Coman. "You could see how important he is for us - not only because of the goal. He wins almost every individual duel. Great performance!
"What's important in a game that you're not settled in is to get wins, to celebrate little victories. You don't have to be successful in every single scene, but you need rhythm. In the second half, Kingsley Coman was super busy, played a good game and scored an important goal."
The significance of Coman's strike wasn't lost on the player himself, who left everything on the pitch in a tireless performance.
"It was a very important goal," Coman told fcbayern.tv. "I gave it my all and was really exhausted in the end. You always have to keep going forward and that worked well today.
"We wanted to win here but we only drew. But that's better than losing. With our fans behind us we have a lot of confidence in the second leg."
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