BERLIN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Raphael Guerreiro's brace wasn't enough as 10-man Bayern Munich squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to bottom side Bochum, while second-placed Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-0 to Werder Bremen on Saturday.

The game began with Bayern on the front foot, fielding an attacking lineup. The strategy paid off early on as Raphael Guerreiro's well-struck shot put the hosts ahead in the 14th minute.

Bayern had a chance to double their lead from the penalty spot but Serge Gnabry, hit the post in the 22nd minute. Guerreiro made amends for Gnabry's miss minutes later, heading home a brace to make it 2-0.

Despite Bayern's dominance, Bochum made the most of a rare attacking opportunity. A poor clearance by Thomas Muller saw the ball bounce off his thigh and land at the feet of Bernardo, who set up Ivan Ordets for a powerful finish to cut the deficit to 2-1 on the half-hour mark.

A key moment came just before the break when Joao Palhinha was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Takuma Asano, leaving Bayern with ten men in the 43rd minute.

Bochum came out of the break with renewed confidence and quickly equalized. Kostas Stafylidis found Christopher Antwi-Adjei, who delivered a pinpoint cross for Takuma Asano to head past Manuel Neuer six minutes into the second half.

Guerreiro came close to restoring Bayern's lead soon after, but his shot just missed the target on the hour mark.

Sensing the need for a change, Vincent Kompany introduced Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise moments later.

The substitutions almost paid off when Konrad Laimer tested Riemann with a fierce shot. However, a defensive lapse soon proved costly. Laimer lost possession in midfield, allowing Patrick Osterhage to set up Kevin Stoger for Bochum's third goal in the 71st minute.

Bayern pushed desperately for an equalizer, but despite late pressure, the German giants were unable to break down Bochum's well-organized defense and suffered their first home defeat of the season in the Bundesliga.

The result gave Bochum a vital win in their relegation battle and dealt a blow to Bayern's title hopes.

"There are no excuses because we lost. We have to take responsibility for our performance, but I can deal with the criticism," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany.

Elsewhere, Werder Bremen ended a five-match losing streak with a 2-0 win at second-placed Bayer Leverkusen. Jeffrey Gouweleeuw's only goal was enough for Augsburg to beat Borussia Dortmund 1-0. Relegation-threatened Holstein Kiel held Stuttgart to a 2-2 draw. Wolfsburg drew 1-1 with St. Pauli, while Freiburg and Leipzig played out a goalless draw.

Earlier on Friday, Mainz underlined their ambitions of finishing in the top three with a 3-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)