Cape Town - Bayern Munich's surprise 3-1 Champions League loss to Porto was the price the five-time European champions paid for a string of injuries and a tired squad that has not stopped playing, club boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.
The Bavarians, chasing a treble of domestic and European titles, travelled with only 15 in-field players to Portugal for their quarter-final first leg leaving injured Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger and David Alaba, among others, behind.
"I am not prepared to criticise the team," Bayern CEO Rummenigge said in post-midnight banquet.