Goodbye championship? FC Bayern loses to Bremen for the first time in 15 years
FC Bayern had gone 32 competitive games without a defeat against Bremen. Now, however, they suffered their first home defeat of the season against their favorite opponent. The gap to league leaders Leverkusen grew to seven points. Doubts are allowed.
DHis favorite opponent had announced himself and traveled to Munich without two top performers. Everything spoke in favor of a favorite victory, but an FC Bayern without strength and inspiration has to let Bayer Leverkusen pull away in the Bundesliga for the time being. One day after the league leaders’ next impressive last-minute win in Leipzig, the Munich team lost 0-1 (0-0) against SV Werder Bremen after a surprisingly dull performance for a long time.
Bayern had been without a defeat against Werder Bremen in 32 competitive games. It fit into the picture of Werder’s first victory since September 2008 that an ex-Munich player scored the winning goal. The strong Mitchell Weiser scored in the 59th minute after a brilliant individual performance. National goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had no chance of defending. In the end, the strong Werder goalkeeper Michael Zetterer held on to victory for the guests. Among other things, he made an outstanding save against Bayern joker Mathys Tel (87th), who was unable to take advantage of a great chance to equalize in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Before Wednesday’s catch-up game against Union Berlin, Bayern’s gap to the still unbeaten Leverkusen team grew to seven points at the start of the second half of the season. Given Bayer’s consistency, this is an alarm signal for the Munich team and coach Thomas Tuchel.
Especially since they had already needed the help of the video assistant on Sunday before Weiser’s stroke of genius. Referee Marco Fritz overruled a counterattack goal by Werder striker Justin Nijanmah in the 25th minute following VAR intervention. Before the successful Bremen counterattack, Jens Stage separated Bayern playmaker Jamal Musiala from the ball with a foul, which Fritz initially did not see as such in the live view.
Bayern’s training camp without effects
After the short training camp in Portugal, the Bayern stars seemed frozen in the Allianz Arena. Tuchel rated the days in the Algarve before kick-off on DAZN as “a good impulse”. It was stupid that there was absolutely nothing to be seen on the lawn. The attacking game was static, without dedication, without inspiration and without speed. And in contrast to the example of Bayer Leverkusen, the rehearsed Munich corner variants also completely fizzled out.
A shot from Leroy Sané and a chance from Dayot Upamecano defused by Werder goalkeeper Michael Zetterer were Bayern’s meager offensive output before the break.
And Werder? Acted compactly and courageously forward even without national players Marvin Ducksch and Leonardo Bittencourt (both yellow card suspensions). For a long time, all that was missing was the deserved reward. Nijnmah’s goal didn’t count. And Bayern captain Neuer used his fingertips to direct a deflected shot from the strong Weiser towards the corner (24′). Bremen’s series of 28 games without a win against Bayern until Sunday seemed to continue.
Tuchel surprisingly forewent an impulse from the bench with Thomas Müller or Leon Goretzka at half-time. Harry Kane shot from distance (50th), but the action did not have a hello effect. Rather, the big moment came from Weiser, who first played past Alphonso Davies and then hit the ball under the crossbar from a tight angle.
Suddenly in the lead: Bremen celebrates Mitchell Weiser (2nd from left) after his goal to make it 1-0 for Werder
Source: dpa/Lukas Barth
Now Tuchel had to react. Müller, Goretzka and Tel came. The pressure from Bayern inevitably increased. Sané tested Zetterer, further exciting scenes in the Werder penalty area (79th). Bremen’s goalkeeper was constantly in the spotlight in the final phase before he and his outfield colleagues celebrated their first away win in nine months and are now unbeaten in five Bundesliga games in a row for the first time under Ole Werner.
For the first time this season, Bayern dropped points against a team from the bottom half of the table and suffered their first home defeat of the season.