The championship is almost gone, things are now getting really uncomfortable for coach Thomas Tuchel: the crisis at series champions FC Bayern has drastically worsened due to the third competitive defeat in a row.
At relegation candidate VfL Bochum, the Munich team, plagued by injuries and outnumbered for around 20 minutes, lost 2:3 (1:2) and are already eight points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen twelve games before the end of the season. Meanwhile, the Bochum team worked their way up to eleventh place and are now nine points ahead of the relegation place.
Until the tennis balls started flying, the Munich team had a lot of things under control. National player Jamal Musiala had given them the lead with his sixth goal of the season (14th), and Harry Kane also missed a huge chance to make it 2-0 (19th). But after the twelve-minute interruption due to the protests against the planned DFL investor, the Munich team were completely out of control and fell behind by the break thanks to goals from Takuma Asano (38th) and Keven Schlotterbeck (44th).
Kevin Stöger made it 3-1 with a penalty kick (78th), Dayot Upamecano picked up a yellow-red card for the previous foul. The Frenchman had already been sent off the pitch on Wednesday in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League at Lazio Rome, causing the decisive penalty to make it 0-1. Kane, who had had no luck until then, reduced the score to 2:3 (87′) – but it was no longer enough for Bayern.
It’s likely to be really unpleasant for Tuchel after he admitted to DAZN before the game: “The nights after are not nice, and waking up after a defeat isn’t nice either.” The week was “absolutely modest. Overall, the mood is as if we were in a relegation place.”
Bayern’s injury concerns are getting bigger and bigger
In addition to the six already missing Sacha Boey, Alphonso Davies, Konrad Laimer, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and Bouna Sarr, Bayern also lost Aleksandar Pavlovic at short notice. Leroy Sané, who had started all 21 league games so far, initially only sat on the bench due to ongoing problems with his patellar tendon. Upamecano, who was also injured, rotated out of Munich’s central defense.
The Bochum team started extremely courageously, but after ten minutes Bayern took control of the game – and the score promptly fell 0-1. Ivan Ordets knocked a header from Matthijs De Ligt off the line, seconds later Musiala was denied by Riemann and hit the follow-up shot under the crossbar. Five minutes later, Kane should have increased, but when he was free in front of Riemann, he missed the ball with an unusually miserable response. He could also have played the ball to Thomas Müller, who was running along.
This was followed by the obligatory break in the game, at the end of which the next injured Munich player, Noussair Mazraoui, had to leave the field. Upamecano came already. The break had thrown Bayern off course again, but the equalizer didn’t come from Mazraoui’s right side, but from the left: After a nice pass from captain Anthony Losilla, Asano finished with a well-placed left-footed shot.
Bayern now made hair-raising mistakes. When Musiala, who was by far the strongest, lost the ball, Kim saved it for a corner. Schlotterbeck headed this in unhindered by Kane. Tuchel watched the game in the cold, wet weather with his hands deep in his jacket pockets and his scarf pulled up to his nose.
FCB rarely dangerous after the break
After the break, Bayern, who had no changes in personnel, came onto the field a few minutes ahead of Bochum and seemed highly motivated. And then immediately came the next interruption, this time for nine minutes. The Munich team then regained control without really exerting much pressure. So Sané had to come after around an hour, along with winter signing Bryan Zaragoza, who came on for the first time as a substitute. Among others, the visibly dissatisfied Joshua Kimmich had to leave.
Then the next setback for Bayern: Upamecano caught Schlotterbeck with his elbow in an aerial duel. For this he received a yellow-red card and Bayern conceded a penalty. Bochum’s Stöger kept his nerve from the point and converted. After Kane’s goal, the Munich team increased the pressure. Kane missed another huge chance (90.3).
