Bayern Munich were brought crashing back down to earth as VfL Bochum inflicted a 4-2 defeat on the Bundesliga champions.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side opened up a nine-point gap at the top of the league last weekend and were searching for their fourth straight victory.
It looked like business as usual when Robert Lewandowski gave the Bavarians a flying start with his 25th goal of the season, but the game was quickly turned on its head.
Bochum – who lost 7-0 at Bayern Munich last September – were quickly back on level terms courtesy of Christopher Antwi-Adjei’s curling shot.
Patrick Osterhage’s attempted cross was adjudged to have been handled by Dayot Upamecano inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot, with Jurgen Locadia converting the penalty to give Bochum the lead after 14 minutes.
But it was to get much better for the hosts, whose first-half performance will go down in club folklore, as defender Cristian Gamboa arrowed an unstoppable shot into the top corner after nutmegging Kingsley Coman. And just a minute before the break, Gerrit Holtmann nonchalantly lifted the ball over Sven Ulreich – deputising for the injured Manuel Neuer – and into the top corner.
Bochum had the ball in the back of the net twice more immediately after the restart. However, goalscorers Holtmann and Antwi-Adjei were both deemed to be offside.
With 15 minutes remaining, Lewandowski reduced the arrears with a spectacular half-volley to give Bayern hope and was a short while later denied his hat-trick when his excellent free-kick struck the woodwork.
However, the damage had already been done and Bochum held on for an unforgettable victory as they move 11th in the table. Bayern remain nine points clear at the summit ahead of second-placed Dortmund’s visit to Union Berlin on Sunday.
It’s unlikely to scupper their quest for a 10th-consecutive Bundesliga title but make no mistake about it, this is an embarrassing result for Bayern Munich.
The scoreline may not exactly be reflective of how the game panned out, but ultimately the Bavarians weren’t clinical in attack whereas their opponents most certainly were. Bochum hit the target with five of their nine shots at goal, scoring four of them. On the other hand, Bayern could score only twice despite having 18 shots.
It was a bad day at the office for Bayern, but for Bochum, Saturday, February 12, is a day that will go down in the club’s history. The day they not only beat the great Bayern Munich but actually taught them a lesson.