34th matchday
Bitter farewell for Tuchel – Neuer calls for a restart
Andrej Kramaric (r.) goes past Bayern’s Aleksandar Pavlovic. photo
© Uwe Anspach/dpa
Without top scorer Harry Kane, FC Bayern lost at TSG Hoffenheim and ended the season in third place. Meanwhile, De Zerbi is becoming the focus of the coaching search.
One last press conference of just over three minutes – then we had it Thomas Tuchel completed this mandatory task at the end of a deplorable Bundesliga season for FC Bayern.
The coach didn’t even say goodbye to the dethroned defending champions as runner-up and with a defeat. The 50-year-old lost the season finale of the Bundesliga with Munich against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 2:4 (2:1) – after a 2:0 lead.
“We defended absolutely inadequately,” criticized Tuchel. His team had a string of ball losses and individual mistakes. “Another bitter defeat, completely unnecessary, but… it just happened far too often.” So the Munich team had to give up second place in the table to VfB Stuttgart. The outstanding Andrej Kramaric duped the guests with three goals (68th, 85th and 87th minute).
No U-turn from Tuchel
After the first titleless season since 2012, sports director Max Eberl is still convinced that the record champions’ search for a coach has ended successfully. “We will find a good solution. A very good friend of mine always says: The best comes last,” said sports director Max Eberl to the TV channel Sky before kick-off after a series of cancellations.
The day before, Tuchel had announced that there would be no U-turn for him and that his farewell at the end of the season after only 15 months in office would continue. Roberto De Zerbi, who was considered a possible successor to Tuchel, is now leaving Brighton & Hove Albion. As the Premier League club announced, the collaboration with the 44-year-old Italian will end by mutual agreement after the last matchday this Sunday.
Lightning start on both sides
Even without Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane (36 goals), who was missing due to back problems, and the injured German national players Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sané and Jamal Musiala, Tuchel initially had his team in top shape. In front of 30,150 spectators in the sold-out stadium in Sinsheim, Mathys Tel (4th minute) and Alphonso Davies (6th) got the game off to a flying start with their goals.
However, Maximilian Beier, who was nominated for the provisional European Championship squad, took advantage of a mistake by national goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to score his 16th goal of the season (8th). Kramaric equalized in the 68th minute – before Bayern went under.
“This was a very difficult season for all of us. I believe that there has to be a new start now – for us, for the club, also from our team side,” said Neuer. “It is clear that things cannot continue like this.”
After this furious final, the Hoffenheim team can now plan for Europe, it is still unclear in which competition. As seventh in the table, coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team would move into the Europa League – if the German champions Bayer Leverkusen win the DFB Cup final against outsiders 1. FC Kaiserslautern next Saturday. Otherwise TSG will go to the Conference League.
Hoffenheim struck twice in the final phase
In a wild opening phase, Tel should have made it 1-0 after just 40 seconds. Less than three minutes later, the attacker scored after preparatory work by Alphonso Davies and Thomas Müller. With his 473rd Bundesliga game, the 34-year-old drew level with Bayern’s record player and goalkeeping legend Sepp Maier.
Davies then scored shortly afterwards to make it 2-0 against a completely disorganized Hoffenheim team. A failed pass by national goalkeeper Neuer helped the TSG offensive score through Beier.
After a good half hour, Aleksandar Pavlovic, who was called up for the home European Championship, had to leave the field with an ankle injury. Neuer then saved against Kramaric (65th) before the Croatian made it 2-2. With his 14th and 15th goals this season, Kramaric really put himself in the spotlight and was able to celebrate big.