Bayern's season in ruins as Bochum stuns champion
Bayern Munich's awful week somehow got even worse as a trip to Bochum ended in a 3-2 defeat that leaves the defending Bundesliga champion eight points adrift of leader Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern's previous three games against Bochum had produced an aggregate score of 17-0, including a 7-0 win in this fixture in each of the past three seasons.
When Jamal Musiala buried the opener on 14 minutes, many would have been forgiven for thinking the same was about the happen again, but Bochum, whose home form is as good as anyone's in the divisions with just one defeat from 11, had other ideas.
After a lengthy stoppage in proceedings, Anthony Losilla pushed forward on the break for Bochum and played Asano through on 38 minutes. The Japanese coolly finished past Manuel Neuer, and Thomas Tuchel's side then got sucker punched just prior to the break wen Kevin Schlotterbeck powered home a header from a Kevin Stoger to put the hosts ahead at half-time.
Bayern dominated possession for most ot eh early stages of the second half and by the hour mark had full control of things, other than the scoreboard.
The failure to create and finish chances would prove costly later in the game when Dayot Upamecano rose in the box to defend a corner, but his errant elbow forced a penalty, a second yellow card and a subsequent red – his second in as many matches having also been dismissed in the UEFA Champions League loss to Lazio. Stoger fired the spot-kick home, the power of his shot beating Neuer, who got a strong but ultimately ineffective left hand to the shot.
Leroy Sane, who had started the game on the bench, had an excellent chance to reduce the arrears but his shot was superbly parried by Bochum keeper Manuel Riemann, who was superb throughout. However, he could do nothing to stop Harry Kane ending his mini drought, slotting home unmarked after Mathys Tel had sucked the home defence away from the England captin inside the box.
Kane should have equalised not long after that, but he fluffed a point-blank header which Riemann was able to gather, and Sane forced another save out of the Bochum stopper before the final whistle sounded and sent the home support into wild celebrations.
For Bayern, the mood could not have been darker, and it now goes into a week of uncertainty as Tuchel's position as coach will undoubtedly come under serious scrutiny.