BERLIN: Bayern Munich could be as many as eight points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen when they travel to Bochum on Sunday after one of the club’s worst weeks in recent memory.
Bayern were outclassed in Saturday’s 3-0 loss in Leverkusen, before losing 1-0 to Lazio on Wednesday — their first defeat in an opening leg in the Champions League last 16 since 2012.
Speaking afterwards in Rome on Wednesday, England captain Harry Kane said “we’re in a difficult spell, there’s no hiding that.”
A “frustrated and angry” Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said he was “at a loss” to explain the “huge drop in performance” in the second-half.
For Bayern fans, the statistics make for sorry reading. Famed for reacting when stung by a poor result, Bayern lost twice in a row for the first time since January 2021.
The German champions were last held scoreless twice in succession in 2015. Against Lazio, Bayern failed to register a shot on goal for the first time since 2019’s 0-0 home Champions League draw with Liverpool.
Bayern have thrashed Bochum 7-0 in three of their past five meetings, but their bid to avoid three straight losses for the first time since 2015 is not as simple as it appears.
Despite sitting in 14th, Bochum have been hard to beat, losing just once at home this season.
Bochum have lost seven times all season, a better record than every team outside the top six, while they have a league-high 10 draws.
With Bayern eliminated from the German Cup by third-tier Saarbruecken, the perennial German champions are staring down a trophyless season for the first time since 2012.
Yet to win a team trophy despite a glittering career, Kane called on his side to put the “really tough week” behind them and “focus on the next challenge.”
“(There are) big things to fight for still. We’re not out of it. We will never give up.
“One game or one spark can change a lot in football and we need to try and find that...
“We’ll push each other in training and on the weekend and try and find it.”
Leverkusen play away at promoted Heidenheim on Saturday — another task less straightforward than it may seem.
Sitting ninth, Heidenheim have had a strong top-flight debut campaign, thanks largely to an excellent home record.
Heidenheim have claimed 18 of their 27 points at the 15,000-capacity Voith Arena, losing just twice all year.
Leverkusen dropping points in Heidenheim could give Bayern a sniff of a chance, which is usually all the 33-time German champions need.
Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller returned to Germany on Thursday having won the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.
Few footballers have endured a more difficult time than Haller over the past 18 months.
Arriving on a big-money deal from Ajax in the summer of 2022, Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer and spent six months on the sidelines as he battled the illness.
He returned and played a key role as Dortmund pushed for the title, but missed a penalty in their final-day draw with Mainz, which meant Bayern were champions again.
Haller scored the winners in the semifinal and final as hosts Ivory Coast won the tournament for the third time.
“We know how long his path back to the top was” Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said Thursday, calling Haller a “celebrated hero.”
“Although things didn’t go well, he stayed positive and was rewarded.
“We’re really happy that he’s back and we hope he’ll bring the momentum from the tournament with him.”
‘No hiding’ for Bayern as Leverkusen threaten to pull away
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‘No hiding’ for Bayern as Leverkusen threaten to pull away
- A “frustrated and angry” Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said he was “at a loss” to explain the “huge drop in performance”
Shakib Al-Hasan shines as MI Emirates down table-toppers Desert Vipers by 4 wickets
- All-round performance helped move the team back to second in the points table
DUBAI: MI Emirates registered a composed four-wicket victory over the table toppers Desert Vipers to seal their third straight win in the DP World ILT20 Season 4 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. After a disciplined bowling performance in the first innings, MI Emirates overcame early pressure before Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al-Hasan guided the team to victory.
The Desert Vipers managed to score 124 courtesy of Dan Lawrence’s gritty 35 off 34 balls, but MI Emirates navigated a tricky chase with relative ease. With the ball, spinner Al-Hasan’s two wickets for 14 runs led the charge and kept the Vipers in check, before Zahoor Khan’s death bowling ensured the total remained below par.
In reply, MI Emirates stumbled in the powerplay and lost momentum in the middle overs, but Pollard’s 26 off 15 balls flipped the contest decisively. Even after his dismissal, Al-Hasan held firm to see the chase through, striking the winning boundary to complete a controlled four-wicket win with 15 balls to spare.
MI Emirates endured a slow powerplay as the Vipers applied sustained pressure. David Payne set the tone early, removing Jonny Bairstow (5 off 5), while Lockie Ferguson struck to dismiss Muhammad Waseem (18 off 13). They finished the powerplay with 35/2 on the board.
The batting side lost momentum through the middle overs as the Vipers bowlers tightened the screws. Nicholas Pooran (17 off 17) mounted a brief counterattack with two sixes but was trapped LBW by Lawrence. Wickets fell at regular intervals, including Tom Banton (10 off 10) being bowled by a sharp Qais Ahmad delivery.
Then, skipper Pollard swung the momentum decisively, taking Ahmad apart with a pair of sixes in the 15th over that turned the chase in MI Emirates’ favor. He was eventually dismissed by Matiullah Khan, but Al-Hasan (17* off 25) held his nerve, anchoring the finish before striking the winning boundary off Matiullah to close the chase at 124/6 in 17.3 overs.
In the first innings, the Vipers made a subdued start in the powerplay, as Chris Woakes was excellent up front, conceding just 15 runs from his three overs. Allah Ghazanfar struck the key blow by removing Max Holden (20 off 18). Fakhar Zaman (13 off 13) tried to build momentum, but the lack of boundaries and regular dots ensured the Vipers were restricted to 35/1 after six overs.
MI Emirates tightened their grip through the middle overs as Al-Hasan struck twice in a miserly spell to remove Zaman and Sam Curran (4 off 4), conceding just eight runs in two overs. Arab Gul added to the pressure by dismissing Hasan Nawaz (13 off 19), leaving the Vipers reeling after losing three wickets in as many overs and the score at 54/4 at the halfway mark of their innings.
Lawrence and Jason Roy (14 off 18) showed intent in patches, adding a cautious stand of 42 runs in 40 balls, but boundaries were scarce. Al-Hasan capped an outstanding spell, leaving the Vipers with little impetus. Khan delivered a decisive final over, finishing with two for 17, as regular wickets in the death overs ensured the Vipers were kept in check, leaving MI Emirates a manageable target of 125 to seal the chase.
Al-Hasan said: “It was a surface that suited the spinners, and the focus was on hitting the right areas consistently. I was able to do that today, which was pleasing. I’m glad it helped the team. Batting wasn’t easy on this pitch either. With so many powerful hitters in our lineup, someone needed to play the anchoring role, and I was happy to take on that responsibility to make sure we finished the chase.”
Desert Vipers stand-in skipper Curran commented: “It was another low-scoring game on a tricky surface. The pitch was slow, and facing a side like MI Emirates, who have high-quality spinners with a lot of variation, made it even tougher. Despite that, I thought our bowlers put in a strong effort. With qualification already secured, we chose to rotate the squad, and what happened to Lockie reinforces the importance of managing workloads.”
