Eleven-time defending Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich was crushed by Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 away at the Deutsche Bank Park, having its six-match league win streak snapped in dramatic fashion.
Despite dominating possession, Bayern was thoroughly outclassed on a rain-soaked afternoon in Frankfurt and succumbed to its first league defeat of the season.
The tone was set early on when Frankfurt winger Ansgar Knauff picked up the ball off an Alphonso Davies slip in the opening minute, driving into the box and performing a step-over before his deflected shot went just wide of Manuel Neuer’s goal.
Eintracht’s continued pressure paid off in the 12th minute through a bit of chaotic play, when Bayern defender Noussair Mazraoui failed to clear Aurélio Buta’s cross and the ball fell to Farès Chaïbi, who hit the crossbar with his effort. The ball fell to Omar Marmoush, who controlled it well with his chest, before finishing it past Neuer to put the host 1-0 up.
Bayern had a chance to level the match in the 25th minute, when Leon Goretzka slipped a great ball through to Harry Kane on the left of the Frankfurt box, but the English star’s shot went just wide of the far post.
As the rain continued to pour, Knauff fought off Kim Min-jae to win the ball on the left wing in the 31st minute, playing it to Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe who took on two Bayern defenders and somehow squeezed his shot past Neuer while he was falling to make it 2-0.
Frankfurt piled more misery on Bayern in the 36th minute as Hugo Larsson brilliantly finished off a Marmoush pass to the left, cutting to the outside before shooting across Neuer’s body to the far end of the goal.
Munich pulled one back just before the end of the first half, when Joshua Kimmich curled in a magnificent goal from outside of the box to give the visitors a glimmer of hope.
Bayern started the second half strongly and had a chance to cut the lead again when Kimmich headed a failed clearance towards goal, where the ball deflected off Kane before dropping to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, whose shot was blocked to end a dangerous attack.
However – much as the maxim goes – when it rains, it does indeed pour, as Dayot Upamecano’s attempted forward move was stopped and Chaïbi quickly transitioned into attack, setting up Dina Ebimbe for his second of the night and Frankfurt’s fourth.
As if to tease and torture the defending champion even more, Eintracht’s fifth of the night was delayed by a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) offside check as former Bayern midfielder Mario Götze played the ball to Marmoush, whose neat heel flick fell to Knauff, who finished with the outside of his right foot to beat Neuer in the 60th minute.
After the VAR check confirmed the goal and the final scoreline of the night two minutes later, the crowd erupted in cheers and Bayern’s misery was complete. The loss meant Bayern missed a chance to go top of the league.
After the match, Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel said the team failed to play up to its usual standard.
“We were lacking intensity after not having played last week,” Tuchel said, per the BBC. “It did not seem so in training, but it certainly looked that way today. The individual mistakes are too many and glaring.”
Bayern forward Thomas Müller agreed with Tuchel, saying the loss was simply down to Frankfurt playing better than the champion.
“There is no need for an explanation,” Müller told reporters. “We have to congratulate Frankfurt who deserved the win. They took the fight out of us in that first half hour. When you lose 5-1 then a reaction has to follow. We won’t lose our heads now. We don’t have enough time but we will bounce back.”
Bayern’s next match is in the UEFA Champions League against an in-crisis Manchester United, which lost 3-0 at home on the weekend to Bournemouth in the Premier League and needs to win against the German side to have any chance of qualifying to the knockout stage of Europe’s biggest club competition.
However, given the huge lack of focus by Bayern on Saturday, it is likely that the European giant will be on its A-game at Old Trafford on Tuesday.