Leeds [UK], Feb 26 : After facing a humiliating defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard hailed his opponents saying that they are a "really strong team".
"That's football at this level. The levels of Bayern Munich were fantastic. They are a really strong team, I was aware of that," Goal.com quoted Lampard as saying.
"Unless we were to get everything right and bang on, it was going to be tough. We did not get everything bang on. We were not confident on the ball, which was my biggest disappointment," he added.
Chelsea were thrashed 3-0 in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie against Bayern Munich on Tuesday (local time).
Lampard stated that the defeat was a harsh lesson for them and they need to understand the levels of the Champions League.
"A harsh lesson, a reality of the levels we want to get to - this is Champions League football. As a club, we have not been fighting in the knockouts for some years and this is the reality of what it takes," he said.
"They need to use this positively. They will not feel it this evening but what they need to do is understand the levels of the Champions League when you get to the knockout stage," Lampard added.
The second leg of the last-16 tie between Chelsea and Bayern Munich will be played on March 19.
( With inputs from ANI )