Champions Bayern Munich crashed to a 3-2 loss at Bochum on Sunday for a third straight defeat in all competitions that saw them drop eight points behind the Bundesliga leaders, Bayer Leverkusen.
The Bavarians, who had Dayot Upamecano sent off for the second consecutive match after his dismissal in Wednesday’s Champions League loss to Lazio, earned a 13th-minute lead with Jamal Musiala drilling in from a tight angle.
But Bochum struck twice before the break through Takuma Asano and Keven Schlotterbeck to complete a stunning comeback for the hosts and pile more pressure on Thomas Tuchel – although Bayern’s chief executive said afterwards that the embattled Bayern coach’s job is safe for now.
“Now [the title] does not look very realistic,” Tuchel said afterwards. “But last season we believed until the end and we were rewarded. So we will keep working at it.”
Referring to the pressure on him after his team’s third loss in eight days, he added: “That happens after every defeat. The ‘how’ we played is key. The ‘how’ was good today and that’s why today’s 90 minutes are very different from the second half at Lazio or the game at Leverkusen.”
The game at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion was interrupted repeatedly, with fans throwing tennis balls on to the pitch in protest at planned outside investment in the Bundesliga.
The hosts added a third with an 85th-minute Kevin Stöger penalty after Upamecano’s dismissal for elbowing an opponent in the box. In the 87th minute, Harry Kane cut the deficit with a tap-in for his 25th league goal of the season – but headed straight at the goalkeeper in stoppage time.
Tuchel’s side are in second place on 50 points, eight behind Leverkusen and four above third-placed VfB Stuttgart. Bochum moved up to 11th place on 25 points and appear safe from relegation.
Despite the big gap to Leverkusen, the Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen, said Tuchel will remain in his position for Saturday’s Bundesliga game at home to RB Leipzig. “Of course,” Dreesen told reporters when asked whether Tuchel would still be in charge by then. “I am not a fan of monstrous coach-backing statements. They usually run out after a week. But this is not an issue we are dealing with at the moment. We have to focus on our next matches.”
Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka struck a far more downbeat tone. “It feels like a horror movie that is not ending. Everything is going against us at the moment,” he said.
