bundesliga

Brilliant Bochum better Bayern

18.02.2024

Bochum piled the misery on Bayern Munich with an upset 3-2 win over the champions, with Takuma Asano, Keven Schlotterbeck and Kevin Stöger on target for them at the Vonovia-Ruhrstadion.

Bochum 3-2 Bayern Munich
Goals: 0-1 Musiala 14' (assist: Goretzka), 1-1 Asano 38' (assist: Losilla), 1-2 Schlotterbeck 44' (assist: Stöger), 3-1 Stöger 78' (pen.), 3-2 Kane 87' (assist: Tel)
Red cards: Upamecano 77'

The pressure was on Bayern after Bayer Leverkusen opened up a provisional eight-point lead on the champions at the top of the Bundesliga with victory over Heidenheim on Saturday, and Bochum showed plenty of attacking intent early on. Asano forced a penalty box scramble before Anthony Losilla and Stöger went close. It was Bayern who took the lead, though, Jamal Musiala smashing his sixth goal of the season high into Manuel Riemann's net minutes after Matthijs de Ligt had seen a header cleared off the line. Bayern were on the front foot for much of the first half from there, but Bochum hit them on the counter to find an equaliser, and then the go-ahead goal. Losilla played Asano through before the Japanese finished low into Manuel Neuer's far corner, and things went from bad to worse for Thomas Tuchel's side minutes later when Schlotterbeck headed home a Stöger corner towards the end of the half.

The second half got off to a frenetic start with Riemann having to race off his line to clear the danger for Bochum before Dayot Upamecano recovered to stop Christopher Antwi-Adjei at the other end. Bayern were thoroughly dominating possession by the hour mark, but Bochum continued to look dangerous on the break with Antwi-Adjei in particular looking to get in behind makeshift right-back Upamecano, who had replaced Noussair Mazraoui in the first half. Bryan Zaragoza came on for his Bayern debut for the last half hour, replacing Joshua Kimmich, with Leroy Sané also entering the fray, and Bernardo blocked from the latter soon after. Bochum academy graduate Leon Goretzka then tried to find Sané in the box, but the winger couldn't control. Stöger converted Bochum's third from the penalty spot before Harry Kane pulled one back, but it was too little, too late for the champions.

Match stats

Asano scored his seventh goal of the season, and first in seven career meetings with Bayern.
Bochum have lost only one of their 11 home games this season, earning 18 of their 25 points at the Vonovia-Ruhrstadion.
Only the top six teams have lost fewer Bundesliga matches in 2023/24 than Bochum (seven), but they are the division's draw experts with 10 from 22 games.
Bayern have lost three games in a row across all competitions for the first time since May 2015.
Kane has scored only three goals in the last six Bundesliga games but did have a hand in five goals in the home fixture against Bochum, scoring three and assisting two.
Bayern's previous three games against Bochum had produced an aggregate score of 17-0, while they had claimed a 7-0 win in this fixture in each of the last three seasons.

Watch: Tuchel says Bayern performing "way below expectations"

Teams

Bochum: Riemann - Oermann (Gamboa 46'), Ordets, Schlotterbeck, Bernardo - Losilla (c) (Loosli 90'+5), Mašović, Stöger - Asano (Förster89'), Broschinski, Antwi-Adjei (Kwarteng 79')
Unused subs: Luthe, Wittek, Daschner, Paciência, Hofmann
Out: Bero (suspended), Esser (knee), Osterhage (unconfirmed), Thiede (muscular), Tolba (knee)
Coach: Thomas Letsch

Bayern: Neuer (c) - Mazraoui (Upamecano 33'), De Ligt, Kim, Guerreiro (Dier 79') - Kimmich (Zaragoza 63'), Goretzka - Müller (Tel 79'), Choupo-Moting (Sané 63'), Musiala - Kane
Unused subs: Ulreich, Zvonarek, Aznou
Out: Aséko (ankle), Boey (hamstring), Buchmann (thigh), Coman (knee), Davies (knee), Gnabry (thigh), Laimer (calf), Peretz (knee), Sarr (knee)
Coach: Thomas Tuchel

Watch: Bernardo hails "really important win"