A missed penalty and a red card were major factors in the final result that saw Bayern drop points against a side fighting relegation
Bayern Munich’s loss to VfL Bochum came as a shocker. Despite being the better team, unforced errors and sloppy mistakes cost the Bavarians severely. Striker Harry Kane expressed his discontent with the manner of the defeat. While the xG numbers were 2.32 vs 1.30 in favor of Bayern, it was Bochum that took the victory with a 2-3 scoreline.
In a post match interview(as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Harry Kane said ”We started the game well and did everything we needed to take the lead. Then they scored and the momentum shifted. After the red card, it shows that at this level you have to stay focused for 90 minutes or you can be punished – and that’s exactly what happened today.”
Being given a rare rest in the tight schedule of games, Harry Kane came on in the 62nd minute against Bochum. The score was already level at 2-2. Vincent Kompany had planned to rest several starters after the UCL game against Bayer Leverkusen. But, he had to shelve those plans and bring out his big guns in Jamal Musiala, Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich. However, that proved to be insufficient to regain the advantage in the game. Despite their attempts, Bayern not only failed to score a third goal, but conceded another goal to Bochum and lost the game 2-3.
The red card in the first half dealt a big blow to Bayern’s chances. Joao Palhinha’s sending off left Bayern a man down for an entire half. That gave enough of an opportunity for Bochum to turn the tide in their favor. Adding salt to the wounds was a penalty kick missed by Serge Gnabry. Had that shot gone in, Bayern would have a sufficient goal cushion to sit back and defend for the rest of the game. As Kane rightly pointed out, any lapse in concentration is punished brutally at this level, it does not matter that the opponent is placed in the 16th position in the Bundesliga table.
Need to talk through the match? Yeah, us too. Listen with us in this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Postgame Show and share your thoughts in the comments about a shock 2-3 home defeat at the Allianz that spoiled Bayern Munich’s 125th anniversary celebrations. Tune in on Spotify or the player below:
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