Needing to win to secure the Bundesliga title, Bayern Munich traveled to face RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena on Saturday. They were, however, in for a first-half surprise as the hosts put in a great performance, heading to the break with a two-goal advantage through Benjamin Sesko (11′) and Lukas Klostermann (39′). The champions-elect responded furiously in the second half, with goals from Eric Dier (62′), Michael Olise (63′) and Leroy Sane (83′) turning the game around. But another shock came very late, as Yussuf Poulsen came off the bench to equalize in the very last seconds of the four-minute stoppage time.
Teams
Both sides had considerable squad issues to work around.
For Leipzig, head coach Zsolt Low couldn’t call upon goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, defenders Willi Orban and Benjamin Henrichs, as well as midfielder Xavier Schlager, with various injury problems, while defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu served a red-card suspension.
Maarten Vandevoordt replaced Gulacsi in goal. Kosta Nedeljkovic and David Raum flanked centre-backs Klostermann and Castello Lukeba in defence. Kevin Kampl and Amadou Haidara paired up in the middle of the park, with Xavi Simons and Nicolas Seiwald in more advanced positions. Sesko and Lois Openda formed the attacking duo.
Meanwhile, Bayern boss Vincent Kompany was in an even worse situation. No less than seven players – defenders Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, Alphonso Davies and Hiroki Ito, and midfielders Jamal Musiala, Raphael Guerreiro and Tarek Buchmann – were out injured, goalkeeper Sven Ulreich missed out through personal reasons, and star striker Harry Kane served a yellow-card suspension.
Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was left on the bench, and with Ulreich unavailable, Jonas Urbig stood between the posts. The defensive crisis forced Kompany to shift fullback Josip Stanisic into the heart of defence, where he joined Dier, with Konrad Laimer on the left and Sacha Boey on the right. Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic covered the central areas of the pitch, with Sane and Olise attacking from the flanks. Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry were the players positioned closest to the opposition goal.
Brief recap
Leipzig entered the contest bravely, and they had already wasted two good opportunities before Sesko produced a top-class curler to beat Urbig and break the deadlock.
Bayern looked utterly powerless to do anything upfront. Muller’s efforts, while admirable, were ineffective – the veteran had very little support for what he was trying to do on multiple occasions, with Gnabry, Sane, and particularly Olise, failing to catch any flame from his sparks. The lack of Kane and Musiala was very telling.
And things soon got worse for the would-be champions. As the first half approached its final minutes, a well-taken free-kick from Raum found the head of Klostermann and Leipzig’s lead was doubled.
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A fly on the wall of the visitors’ dressing room would probably have a lot to report about what Kompany told his players during the break, but whatever it was, it obviously worked.
The Bavarians fully re-entered the fray after the restart, and barely a minute passed between Dier expertly diverting Olise’s corner to beat Vandevoordt at the near post and Olise finishing a swift counterattack himself, after Pavlovic took advantage of a loose Raum pass to win possession for his team in the opposition half.
Bayern were now completely on the front foot, with strong momentum on their side, and it was only a matter of time before they would strike again. Laimer missed a glorious chance, sending a header over the bar from a yard or two, but Sane kept his cool in the 83rd minute, and the title appeared so close at that moment that Kane left the stands to watch the remainder of the match from the touchline.
But the England captain and his club teammates were in for yet another shock. Their momentum waned; it seemed they were already celebrating in their heads when they were harshly reminded of the ruthlessness of the sport at this level. A sudden lack of defensive organization, in literally the final seconds of the match, allowed Poulsen to find himself one-on-one with Urbig. The away fans stopped short in their celebrations as the Leipzig substitute striker produced a touch of class by chipping the Bayern goalkeeper to put the ball in the net.
The last-second setback means little for Bayern title pursuit
Bayern were thus prevented from clinching the title mathematically on the day, but it won’t really stop them from winning it in the end. They now hold a nine-point advantage over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, and though the defending champions will have a chance to cut it down to six on Sunday against Freiburg (not exactly a foregone conclusion), just two games will remain for each team. With Bayern boasting a goal-difference than their rivals by 30 at the moment, it would take a succession of huge miracles for them not be regain the Bundesliga throne in the end.
Bayern will surely be crowned champions again, whether on Sunday or next week, remains to be seen.
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On the other hand, Poulsen’s equalizer may yet prove crucial for Leipzig, who firmly remain on the hunt for Champions League qualification. After Saturday’s matches, they sit in sixth place with 50 points, four less than Eintracht Frankfurt in third, one less than Borussia Dortmund in fourth and Freiburg in fifth, and three more than Mainz 05 in seventh and Werder Bremen in eighth. It should, however, be said that along with Freiburg doing battle with Leverkusen, Mainz host Eintracht on Sunday.
