Matchday 28: FCB falters in title fight – Tuchel: “A big step backwards”

28th matchday
FCB falters in title fight – Tuchel: “A big step backwards”

The dismayed Munich soccer pros on the pitch were no longer able to hear the loud cheering of their Bayern fans at Dortmund’s last-minute faux pas.

The ensemble around the sudden striker Benjamin Pavard had long since disappeared into the catacombs after the next low blow by the 1-1 (1-0) against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim when VfB Stuttgart’s ultra-late 3-3 equalization against the Bayern pursuer BVB was announced in the Allianz Arena. “We were shocked by our own performance. We can thank BVB,” said captain Thomas Müller and also revealed: “The coach has to shake himself first.”

After the cabin trouble and a lot of Champions League frustration, FC Bayern is now faltering on the way to the eleventh championship title in a row. “We played without energy,” said midfield boss Joshua Kimmich soberly four days before Wednesday’s premier class second leg against Manchester City. The disappointing performance without a punch against Hoffenheim, who are threatened with relegation, does not raise any Munich hopes for a football miracle after the 0: 3 in the first leg. On the contrary.

FCB maintains a two-point lead over BVB

“It was the moment to go one step further, to win the game with all your might, but also to show energy, to awaken energy in the stadium, to awaken fire and confidence,” said Tuchel, looking at the apparently unsolvable task in Europe’s elite class. “We didn’t succeed in any of that. That’s why we’re not completely without a chance now, but the task, which is already extremely difficult, has definitely not become any easier.”

With the Stuttgart equalizer in the seventh minute of added time, Bayern maintained at least their two-point lead over BVB. With six games to go before the end of the season, the head-to-head race for the championship trophy continues. “We have enough of our own construction sites, have enough to clarify. I’m not interested in what happens on other places,” commented Tuchel. “We have to look at ourselves, be self-critical.” It’s not worth getting excited about other results.

The strong Pavard (17th minute) made the Munich team hope for a long time in front of 75,000 spectators that CEO Oliver Kahn demanded that they fulfill their duties in everyday life in the Bundesliga. But Andrej Kramaric hit back ice-coldly with a free-kick goal for Hoffenheim around the strong goalkeeper Oliver Baumann (71st). “We’ll celebrate it almost like a win,” said striker Ihlas Bebou after winning the point.

Tuchel: “We missed a huge opportunity”

After Tuchel “fell in love” with his new team despite the Champions League beating on the island, there was no sign of this crackling in the young liaison. After failed actions by his stars, the 49-year-old coach repeatedly shook his head angrily or turned away in annoyance. The bottom line was that it was “too flawed”. The pace of the game and the change of pace were not good. “We definitely missed a huge opportunity to get ourselves and our fans in the mood that will be necessary,” said Tuchel. Sadio Mané, who was suspended for a game after the cabin dispute with Leroy Sané, is back in the squad against City.

It was significant that the opening hit came from the random product category. The Hoffenheimers fended off a corner from Kimmich insufficiently. Kingsley Coman missed the shot made possible by this. But that didn’t matter because Pavard reacted at the speed of thought in the six-yard box and scored his fourth league goal of the season.

Neither Bayern Munich nor Hoffenheim, who had previously won three times in the relegation battle, did not show in body language and actions that this important duel was about championship and relegation. Bayern was superior, but lacked speed, precision and passion. “After conceding we felt courage and brought a completely different energy to the pitch in the second half,” said visiting coach Pellegrino Matarazzo.

dpa