German Bundesliga

Bayern, BVB and Leverkusen in action from 3.30 pm

Bayern and Leverkusen stumble.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/AFP or licensors)

Germany's title candidates stumble in step! Leaders Bayern Munich lost 3-2 to Bochum on Saturday after leading 2-0, while runners-up Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-0 to Werder Bremen after a goal from ÖFB player Romano Schmid. 

Title rivals Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen suffered surprising home defeats in the German Bundesliga on Saturday. Munich lost 3-2 to relegation candidates VfL Bochum in an understrength draw and are still eight points ahead of defending champions Leverkusen with nine rounds to go. The champions were beaten 2-0 by Werder Bremen after an early goal from ÖFB team player Romano Schmid. Borussia Dortmund lost 1-0 at home to Augsburg.

Three days before the Champions League second leg in Leverkusen (first leg 3-0), Bayern started with a largely rotated team. In addition to young star Jamal Musiala and top striker Harry Kane, Konrad Laimer was only on the bench for the time being. Raphael Guerreiro scored a brace before the break (14, 28). In the absence of Kane, the most reliable penalty taker in European professional soccer of late, Serge Gnabry struck the bar with a spot-kick (22).

(Bild: AFP/ALEXANDRA BEIER)

Jakov Medic, who could have already been in the shower after the penalty foul, reduced the deficit after a corner (31'). After Bayern's Joao Palhinha was shown red (43'), Ibrahima Sissoko equalized with a header (51'). Bayern coach Vincent Kompany reacted with a quadruple substitution, bringing on Laimer, Musiala, Kane and Michael Olise (63). However, Bochum scored the winner through Matus Bero. Laimer had previously lost the ball (71').

(Bild: AP)

Second goal of the season from Schmid
Bayern conceded their second league defeat of the season, their first at home. They had previously only dropped points there in September in a 1-1 draw against Leverkusen. It was Leverkusen's first league defeat since the end of August. Xabi Alonso's champions were unbeaten in 22 league games, but were caught cold early on by Bremen. After winning the ball, Jens Stage found the free-standing Schmid in the penalty area. The Styrian finished sensitively with the instep for his second goal of the season (7').

Leverkusen pressed in vain, with a free-kick from Aleix Garcia hitting the crossbar (45.+1). The Bayer team also lost top star Florian Wirtz in the second half. The attacker, who only came on as a substitute at the break, is in danger of missing the second leg of the CL round of 16 tie against Bayern with an ankle injury. Bremen captain Marco Friedl was still missing through injury, with Marco Grüll coming on in the 78th minute. Justin Njinmah (94') made the difference. Bremen ended a four-game losing streak at the champions of all clubs.

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Dortmund still in no man's land
For Dortmund, Marcel Sabitzer was not in the starting line-up for the first time under new coach Niko Kovac, but was substituted in the closing stages (75'). Jeffrey Gouweleeuw's header from Marius Wolf's free-kick was the deciding factor (23'). Dortmund were lucky in a virtually identical action after the break: an own goal by Sabitzer substitute Salih Özcan was disallowed for being just offside (61'). Both teams each scored another goal for offside. The BVB fans were already whistling at the break - and even more so after the game. Dortmund are tenth in the table and a long way off a Champions League place.

VfL Wolfsburg, coached by Ralph Hasenhüttl, drew 1-1 with FC St. Pauli without Patrick Wimmer, who was ill. St. Pauli are just two points ahead of the relegation place occupied by Bochum. Penultimate-placed Holstein Kiel are already three points behind Bochum despite a 2-2 draw against runners-up VfB Stuttgart. Kiel's Steven Skrzybski scored a brace (30', 46'). He thus put six shots on goal in a row into the opponent's goal.