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27/11/2001 (www.uefa.com)
Bayern on top of the world
FC Bayern M�nchen coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said his UEFA Champions League-winning side could now be considered "the best in the world" after beating Argentina's Club Atl�tico Boca Juniors 1-0 in the European/South American Cup in Tokyo.
'Best team in the world'
Samuel Kuffour's extra-time goal secured victory for the German and European champions against a Boca side reduced to ten men late in the first half by the dismissal of Marcelo Delgado. Hitzfield said: "I suppose we can now consider ourselves as the best team in the world - at least until Sunday when we play our next German [1.] Bundesliga match in Berlin."
'A new chapter'
The victory was Bayern's second in the intercontinental event, 25 years after the first, and Hitzfeld described the success in Tokyo's National Stadium as "a new chapter" in the Bavarian club's history. "We were coming to Tokyo to write a new chapter in the history of Bayern," he said. "We succeeded in this quest and I am very happy about this. This is once again another big moment for this club only six months after our triumph [over Valencia CF] in Milan.
'An important win'
"I felt that Boca only came today to destroy the game with their negative tactics. However, we still managed to create many scoring chances, although it was very late in the day before we made one of them count. Overall, we are delighted with the outcome as this was an important win for us," added Hitzfeld.
Man of the match
Kuffour, scorer of the 109th-minute winner, collected the man-of-the-match prize of a Toyota car from the tournament's sponsors. "I am so, so happy, I feel like the Pince of Ghana," he said. "This is one of the biggest moments in my life, especially as I was also man of the match. For this, I was awarded a car which I intend to send to my mother in Ghana."
'We took our chance'
Bayern's captain Oliver Kahn, who came out to make a telling interception that denied Delgado in the first half, said: "I always say that you have to look to the end of the match and it is at this point that Bayern are always in front. We did this once again here today. It is very important for our team to take this European/South American Cup home to Munich, because you only get this chance once in your life. Today was our chance and we took it."
Elber's 'biggest success'
Given the prominence of the European/South American Cup in the latter continent, the victory was sweet indeed for Bayern's Brazilian centre-forward Giovane Elber. "I can only tell you how important this success is for a player from South America," he said. "I thank Bayern for acquiring me three years ago so that I can enjoy this moment in Tokyo. For me it is the biggest success in my career. Now everybody in South America is talking about Paulo S�rgio, Claudio Pizarro and myself."
Beckenbauer praise
Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern's president and a member of the side that overcame Cruzeiro EC over two legs in 1976, said this was "the most successful year" the club has known. "I extend my congratulations to both the team and the coaches," he said. "This is the most successful year in the history of Bayern. In 2001, we won Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions League and now the European/South American Cup."
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� 2001 - 2002 Ririn Utami
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