Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 10y

Rummenigge sorry for Juve UCL exit

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says he was sorry for the way that Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League this season.

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Juve failed to make it past the group stage as a late Wesley Sneijder goal took Galatasaray through at their expense with a 1-0 win.

However, the game had to be postponed due to extreme weather conditions, before being completed the next day.

The conditions were not much better when the teams took to the field again and the Bianconeri, who needed just a draw to join Real Madrid in the last 16, were furious that the match was still allowed to go ahead.

And Rummenigge has some sympathy for the Italian champions, telling Gazzetta dello Sport that their elimination was painful to watch.

"It hurt me to see Juve knocked out like that in Istanbul," Rummenigge said. "It's incredible what happened. You can't play in conditions like that. From what I know, the game should not have been played, but then somebody mentioned the [last 16] draw and, well… It would have been better to postpone it. They could have found a solution for the draw."

Juve's elimination left AC Milan as the sole Serie A representative in the Champions League, and former Inter Milan forward Rummenigge believes they still have a chance of making the quarterfinals.

The Rossoneri travel to Atletico Madrid next week needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.

"Let's just wait before saying Milan are out," he said. "I wouldn't be so certain. They can turn things around with Atletico."

Reigning champions Bayern, meanwhile, have one foot in the next round after their 2-0 first-leg win at Arsenal, but Rummenigge is refusing to talk about the chances of the club becoming the first in the history of the Champions League to defend their crown.

"It's still too soon to say that," Rummenigge said. "But we've started well in our last-16 tie with Arsenal. The final's still a long way away, but we're in great form -- 15 wins in a row and 48 games without defeat."

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