Bayern bowed as Tuchel concedes ‘it’s all over’
Leverkusen stretches lead to 13 points to close on maiden Bundesliga title
Germany — Bayern Munich lost 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, its first home “Der Klassiker” loss in a decade, allowing Bayer Leverkusen, who came back to win 2-1 over Hoffenheim, to go 13 points clear with seven games remaining.
Leverkusen’s victory put the onus on Bayern in Saturday’s late match, but the German champion lost at home with Dortmund scoring goals in each half through Munich-born Karim Adeyemi and defender Julian Ryerson.
Harry Kane had the ball in the net in the dying stages to give Bayern hope of a comeback, but the England captain’s goal was struck off for offside.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel sent “congratulations to Leverkusen”.
Asked if the title race was over, Tuchel replied “of course”, saying “it’s self-evident, clear”.
Bayern defender Joshua Kimmich was livid and publicly criticized his team.
“I wonder how we can put in such a performance in a game like this. It’s completely incomprehensible,” said Kimmich.
“In the second half you had the feeling that nothing was at stake, it was like a friendly. We need to go home and question ourselves.”
Dortmund’s first league win in Munich in 3,641 days, dating back to 2014 when Jurgen Klopp was in the dugout, took it three points clear of RB Leipzig and back into fourth place with the battle for the Champions League intensifying.
The win in Munich “took too long” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.
“We had a bit of luck, but we worked hard for it,” Terzic told Sky.
Earlier on Saturday, Maximilian Beier gave Hoffenheim a 1-0 lead at Leverkusen. But with this season’s unbeaten record in serious danger a day after Xabi Alonso pledged to stay on as coach for another year, the league leader hit back.
Robert Andrich equalized in the 88th minute before an injury-time Patrik Schick volley sealed another remarkable comeback win.
Leverkusen’s late win continued its record of victories in the dying moments this season.
Alonso’s side scored late to beat Augsburg, Leipzig, and Stuttgart in the German Cup, and against Qarabag twice in the Europa League.
“I was always optimistic,” Alonso told reporters. “We said at halftime that one goal is important. Everything can change in one moment.
“We have a winner’s mentality — we built that for ourselves this season.”
“We kept fighting and kept believing until the end,” Leverkusen scorer Andrich told Sky.
“I had no doubt we’d score at least one today. I knew eventually one of our shots had to go in.”
Alonso boost
The midfielder, who stood alongside his coach as the team celebrated in front of the home fans after the match, said Alonso told the players on Friday he would stay beyond the season.
“He said he wasn’t going anyLEVERKUSEN, where — he said he’d stay here,” Andrich said of Alonso, who has been heavily linked with moves to Liverpool and Bayern.
“The timing he chose was very good. Now we can keep pushing and hopefully achieve something great this season.”
Dortmund’s win meant RB Leipzig’s bid for a Champions League spot took a hit, after the German Cup holder played out a scoreless draw at home against lowly Mainz despite dominating possession.
The home side was twice denied in the opening half, with an eighthminute handball penalty overturned by VAR and a Lois Openda goal chalked off for offside.
“I can’t hear another word about expected goals — we just didn’t take our chances,” lamented Leipzig’s David Raum.
Champions League regulars for the past decade, RB Leipzig and Dortmund face off in the league in late April at the Red Bull Arena.
New Wolfsburg manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, the former Southampton coach, claimed victory in his first match in charge, 2-0 at Werder Bremen.
Bremen was reduced to 10 men just before halftime following a lastman foul from Anthony Jung. Maxence Lacroix put the Wolves in front shortly afterward.
Lacroix was sent off in the second half, but Wolfsburg’s Lovro Majer scored to seal the win.
Freiburg took a step toward European qualification in long-serving coach Christian Streich’s final season at the club with a 3-0 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The Black Forest side was in full control against Gladbach, with Michael Gregoritsch, Merlin Roehl and Ritsu Doan all scoring.
Union Berlin held Eintracht Frankfurt to a 0-0 away draw, picking up a valuable point to go nine points clear of the relegation zone.