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Augsburg ended Bayern Munich’s record run of 53 league games without defeat with a 1-0 win victory in the Bundesliga yesterday. Bayern coach Pep Guardiola rested a raft of first-team players ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final encounter with Manchester United. |
Bavarian neighbours Augsburg - who had never beaten Bayern in the Bundesliga - took full advantage with a first-half winner from Sascha Moelders after Mitchell Weiser on his Bayern debut lost the ball to Daniel Baier.
“No complaints. We lost because the opponents were a little bit better than us,” Guardiola said.
“We fought and tried a lot. That’s football, that’s sport - you can’t always win. Sooner or later there will be a defeat. We accept that and now have to prepare for Manchester United as soon as possible.”
In relegation tussles, VfB Stuttgart downed Freiburg 2-0 to move out of the bottom three, while Nuremberg slipped to second last after a 2-0 defeat at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach, who move to fourth.
Elsewhere Schalke stayed third after a 1-1 draw at Werder Bremen, while Eintracht Frankfurt beat neighbours Mainz 2-0.
Bayern, who have captured the title in record time and had won their last 10 away games, were finally defeated in a match which had offered Guardiola the opportunity to rest players ahead of United’s visit on Wednesday.
Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and captain Philipp Lahm were left out of the squad. In came reserve-team full-backs Ylli Sallahi and Weiser on their debuts, while Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg started for the first time.
David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Mario Goetze, Thomas Mueller and Dante were on the substitutes’ bench.
“We didn’t lose because of the young players,” Guardiola said. “Hojbjerg and Weiser were the best players on the pitch. They have trained a lot with us and know our game and know what I want. Congratulations to all three.”
Augsburg had beaten Bayern only once previously in 14 matches - in August 1961 before the Bundesliga was launched.
