Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes hails 'magnificent' Kingsley Coman

Published on: 02 December 2017

Thomas Muller speaks on the difficulty of filling in for the incomparable Robert Lewandowski when he's out of the Bayern lineup.

Jupp Heynckes hailed "a magnificent performance" from Kingsley Coman as Bayern Munich beat Hannover 3-1 at the Allianz Arena to go six points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

Arturo Vidal headed Bayern in front after 16 minutes before goalkeeper Sven Ulreich saved a twice-taken penalty from Hannover striker Niclas Fullkrug 10 minutes later.

Charlison Benschop glanced in a deserved equaliser on 34 minutes, but Coman restored Bayern's lead on 66 minutes and then won the penalty from which Robert Lewandowski scored the third.

And Heynckes singled out France international Coman at his postmatch news conference, saying: "Honestly, Kingsley could have taken things easy today as he's had a swollen foot for two weeks.

"However, this week he was able to train normally and today he put in a magnificent performance, scoring the vital goal to make it 2-1.

"His long runs cost so much energy so he has marvellous fitness, too, at the moment. I'm very pleased with how he is developing with us."

Bayern captain Thomas Muller also made his comeback after almost six weeks out with a thigh injury, providing the cross for Vidal's opener.

"You can see that Thomas livens up our play -- he is very positive and shows great commitment," Heynckes said.

"He was far from clinical with his chances to score today -- but that is normal for me, he will get there."

Heynckes said his side "had some problems with Hannover's counter-attacking game" but added: "We always carve out chances, though, and today we created a whole host of chances, which we unfortunately did not make the most of.

"In the second half we played confidently, dictating the pace of the game and setting the rhythm. I think we deserved to win by this margin against a challenging opponent."

However, Jerome Boateng warned: "If we play like we did in the first half against PSG [in the Champions League next week], then they will destroy us."

Mark Lovell covers Bayern Munich for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter: @LovellLowdown.

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Source: espn.co.uk

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