MUNICH: A 10-man Bayern Munich got away with a shock 3-2 home defeat to Bochum on Saturday after title chasers Bayer Leverkusen were beaten 2-0 by Werder Bremen.

Bayern midfielder Raphael Guerreiro’s 14th minute goal, when the Portuguese hammered a loose ball into the net, had Bayern on track before Serge Gnabry missed a 21st-minute penalty.

With Kane, who has converted his past 30 penalties in a row, sitting on the bench, Gnabry stepped up but hit the ball against the post.

Guerreiro however scored again with a rare header on the 28-minute mark, just three minutes before Bochum’s Jakov Medic pulled one back with an unstoppable rocket.

Bochum were given hope when Bayern’s Joao Palhinha saw red for sinking his studs into Giorgos Masouras’s ankle just before half-time.

Ibrahima Sissoko headed Bochum level six minutes into the second half and Matus Bero put the underdogs in front 71 minutes in, going the length of the field to knock in a Philipp Hofmann pass.

Bochum’s surprise victory took them three points clear of the automatic relegation placings.

Leverkusen were down after just seven minutes when Romano Schmid tapped in from close range.

The loss was just Leverkusen’s second in 59 league games dating back to May 2023.

Borussia Dortmund’s slim chances of reaching the top four took a hit with a 1-0 home loss to Augsburg, with Jeffrey Gouweleeuw’s first half header the only goal in the game.

In Saturday’s late game, Freiburg held RB Leipzig to a scoreless draw at home.

Elsewhere, St Pauli scored their first goal in five matches in a 1-1 draw at Wolfsburg, going two points clear of the relegation playoff spot.

Fellow promoted side Holstein Kiel also picked up a point with a hard-fought 2-2 home win over Stuttgart.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2025