Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has said his team have earned the right to feel confident after beating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. The result gave Bayern an edge before the return leg in Munich and extended the team’s strong run of form across all competitions.
Kompany’s message after the win was clear. Bayern respect Real Madrid, but they now have reason to believe in themselves. That line matters because this was not a lucky smash-and-grab performance. Bayern created major chances, scored through Luis Díaz and Harry Kane, and left Madrid chasing the game for long periods before Kylian Mbappé pulled one back late on.
The Bayern coach also struck a careful balance. He did not treat the tie as finished, but he made it clear that form and performance give his side a strong platform going into the second leg on April 15 in Munich. Bayern are unbeaten in 14 matches in all competitions, which helps explain why Kompany is pushing a confidence angle instead of a cautious survival one.
That confidence is backed by what happened on the pitch in Madrid. Bayern started well, carried threat through Kane and Michael Olise, and got a huge performance from Manuel Neuer in goal. Bayern have earned the right to hold high expectations, while the club’s own post-match analysis framed the win as the end of a nine-game wait for victory against Real and a night Bayern fans would not forget anytime soon.
For Bayern, this is more than a result story. It is now a momentum story. Kompany is trying to shape the next phase of the tie by turning an away win into belief without letting that belief drift into complacency. Can Bayern finish the job at home against the competition’s most decorated side?
This is IDNN. Independent. Digital. Uncompromising.
