FC Bayern seems to be losing its nerve in the long-distance duel with Bayer Leverkusen. On Sunday, Munich suffered an embarrassing 0-1 (0-0) defeat against Werder Bremen in front of their own fans. Bayern are now seven points behind the league leaders from the Rhineland.
Mandatory victory! After last week’s 3-0 win against Hoffenheim, Bayern went into the game against 14th place in the table with this clear demand on themselves. from the north. Thomas Tuchel only changed his team in one position: Kingsley Coman was allowed to replace Thomas Müller in the starting line-up. What meant for national player Leon Goretzka: He had to give way to Raphael Guerreiro in midfield again.
Werder counters fire hazard
But SV Werder didn’t even think about settling for the role of spectator early on. Coach Ole Werner’s team was secure and compact at the back, but they also attacked Bayern high in midfield and took advantage of every opportunity to counterattack.
With wall player Nick Woltemade up front, they had an excellent target player who secured the ball well and passed it off to his lightning-fast strike partner Justin Njinmah when necessary.
VAR intervention – Njinmah’s goal does not count
Such a counterattack gave Bremen the supposed lead after just under half an hour: Njinmah had been sent steeply by Romano Schmid and kept his nerve in front of Manuel Neuer. He coolly shot past the keeper to make it 0-1. But referee Marco Fritz, who had initially allowed play to continue, had the VAR change his mind and decided: In the previous scene, Werder’s Jens Stage had worked against Jamal Musial against the rules. The hit was withdrawn.
Astonishing: Bayern, who held a training camp in Portugal during the week and, according to Tuchel, had “trained really well” there, didn’t produce any real results in the first half – despite their visual superiority – apart from a Sané shot (over the goal) in the 23rd minute Goal opportunity arises.
Weiser shocks Neuer and Co.
In the second half, Werder would have to pay tribute to the high effort – or so they thought. But far from it. The Bremen team continued to plow the favorites, who seemed increasingly sedate, with astonishing intensity. It soon became clear that Werder was the better team in the Munich football temple.
And the North Germans were finally rewarded: in the 59th minute, the strong Mitchell Weiser on the right flank asked Alphonso Davies to dance. The man from Bremen came past, put the ball on his left and hit the ball over Manuel Neuer’s fists and into the net to make it 0-1.
Three-way substitutions don’t do much good
Tuchel reacted: brought Goretzka, Müller and Mathys Tel. Joshua Kimmich, Guerreiro and Davies had to go down. A little later, Harry Kane had the equalizer on his head. His ball in the 75th minute slipped just past the left post after Goretzka put it down
Time was now running out for Bayern. The Bremen team was restricted and, like in handball, the ball wandered around the guests’ penalty area. Only: The decisive action was missing, the decisive deep pass, the decisive dribbling, the successful long-range shot.
The gap to Leverkusen is growing
Tel’s attempt failed to hit the post in the 87th minute, but a minute later he shot a promising shot past – that was it. FC Bayern had lost the game. And with that, seven points behind Bayer Leverkusen (with one game less) packed into the backpack.
The Munich team will visit the Fuggerstadt team on the next match day (Saturday, January 27th, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.). Bremen is in action against Freiburg at the same time.