Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich said his side need to question their mentality after they slumped to a shock 4-2 loss at Bundesliga minnows Bochum ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Red Bull Salzburg. Bayern conceded four goals in the first half for the first time in a Bundesliga match since 1975 as promoted Bochum rampaged to victory, leaving the perennial champions stunned.
Bayern had not lost to Bochum since 2004 ahead of this game, and beat them 7-0 when the two teams last met in September. When Robert Lewandowski bundled in the opener for Bayern on nine minutes, it seemed it would be a normal afternoon for the perennial champions.
But Bochum equalised quickly through Christopher Antwi-Adjei, before taking control in a frenzied 10 minutes before the break. Juergen Locadia gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot after a Dayot Upamecano handball, and unsettled Bayern wilted under pressure.
Cristian Gamboa smashed the ball into the top corner from the edge of the area two minutes later, before Holtmann curled in another brilliant long-range effort on the stroke of half-time.
Lewandowski pulled a goal back in the second half, but it was too little for Bayern to avoid a fourth league defeat of the season. Bayern remain nine points clear at the top of the table overnight, ahead of Borussia Dortmund’s trip to Union Berlin today.
In-form Bayer Leverkusen remain third after they eased to a 4-2 win over Stuttgart. Leverkusen had scored ten goals in their previous two games, but were held at bay by a dogged Stuttgart defence until Moussa Diaby slalomed through the box to score the opener just before half time.
Elsewhere, struggling giants Wolfsburg and Borussia Moenchengladbach both pulled away from the relegation zone with timely wins. Wolfsburg beat former coach Oliver Glasner with a 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt, a Max Kruse penalty and a late goal from Dodi Lukebakio handing them a second successive win.
Bottom club Greuther Fuerth gave themselves hope in the relegation fight with only their third win of the season against Hertha Berlin. Branimir Hrgota opened the scoring after just 27 seconds and doubled the lead with a second-half penalty before Hertha’s Linus Gechter scored his first Bundesliga goal late on.
Freiburg leapfrogged Union Berlin into fifth with a 1-1 draw at home to Mainz, substitute Nils Petersen cancelling out Alexander Hack’s first-half opener.