18 April 2024 , 10:00
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A beaming Eric Dier didn't shy away from how "nice" it was to knock old enemies Arsenal out of the Champions League.
The Tottenham centre-back, who's on loan at Bayern Munich in a move which is set to become permanent this summer, was UEFA's man of the match as the German giants won 1-0 in Wednesday's second leg thanks to an emphatic header from Joshua Kimmich. Bayern will now play Real Madrid in the semi-finals, while Arsenal's European journey is over - much to the delight of Spurs fans.
Despite not being part of Tottenham's long-term plans under boss Ange Postecoglou, Dier couldn't hide his Spurs loyalties post-match. When asked by Sky Sports if beating Arsenal made the achievement even more special, the 30-year-old admitted with an instinctive grin and a slight chuckle: "Yeah it was nice, it was nice... Nice to knock them about to be honest.
It wasn't all smooth sailing for Bayern, though, especially after they surrendered the Bundesliga title for the first time in 11 years on Sunday, as unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen were crowned champions. Having earned a 2-2 draw in North London last week, the six-time European champions needed to dig in and defend after Kimmich had headed home, with Dier at the heart of their robust back line.
"The spirit between us, you felt it from the first game at Arsenal and today I think we carried on the same way," the Spurs loanee also told ESPN. "Obviously, we know the quality in our team but we showed a great spirit and a great attitude.
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"Over both legs, we had the quality and showed great commitment between each other. I think the manager set us up in a great way to nullify them and to then hurt them.
"I think it was really down to the camaraderie and for me a new thing to feel the experience of some of the players in the dressing room. They've been here before many times, and to see that and see the way they carry themselves in those moments in the game, it's nice to learn from."
Your turn! Are Bayern Munich good enough to win the Champions League? Join the debate in the comments section.
Tottenham loanee Eric Dier has reached the Champions League semi-finals with Bayern Munich (Silas Schueller/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel, who plans to leave the club at the end of this season, added on his side's 3-2 aggregate win: "It means a lot to me. It's an important step. Semi-finals, last four. It was a lot of fun. It was a bit of a chess game from both teams in the first half. Who would make the first mistake?
"It was a really strong showing in the second half. We showed personality and courage, and deserved to win. I'm really proud of the team. We knew we'd only get it done by staying compact because Arsenal rely on the team performance, rather than individual quality. Overall, we did a very, very good job as a team today."