Hoffenheim shock Bayern Munich

 

The football fans need to take a deep breath and calm down themselves because this has been a wild, wild football weekend. Brighton almost halted Manchester United, West Brom were all set to gift Chelsea a shocker, Real Betis stranglehold Real Madrid yesterday and New Castle have stunned Tottenham Hotspur courtesy of a ridiculous VAR decision today.

And, when they witnessed TSG 1899 Hoffenheim hand the German Giants Bayern Munich a 4-1 disgrace – well, buddy, this 2020; where anything can go wrong. There would always a surprising element for which you are still not prepared to digest.

Surely, the roster against Hoffenheim would be one of those matches where Bayern would go out there and finish the formalities by thrashing the opponents and maintain their brilliant unbeaten streak since last December. But all good things have their end and at times they end in an astonishing fashion.

Bayern surfaced a team without their hit-man Robert Lewandowski for the first time in the last two years.  The young Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee preferred in his place to lead an attacking line that also consisted of Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry.

A clash against Augsburg at home on September 25, 2018 was the last time Lewandowski did not feature in the starting XI when fit from the outset for a league match.

The match progressed and Hoffenheim looked the better side in the first half, with the visitors arguably lucky to only trail by one goal at the interval as Joshua Kimmich pulled one back after Ermin Bicakcic and Munas Dabbur had put the hosts 2-0 up.

Bayern can’t lose and that is the kind of thought which the followers nurture in their mind these days and in the second half they expected Bayern to come out all guns blazing.

Hoffenheim's intensity remained impressive after the restart and they went close twice in quick succession through Dabbur early on.

Bayern almost made the most of those let-offs when Zirkzee hit the bar from an acute angle just prior to being replaced by Lewandowski, as Flick attempted to force the issue.

That change failed to bring the desired improvement.

Andrej Kramaric put the result beyond Bayern with two goals in the final 13 minutes to inflict a first defeat on the champions since December, and in emphatic style.

Overall, Bayern looked sluggish and Hoffenheim exploited the sluggishness and ended Bayern’s immortality.

Hansi Flick needs to come up with a different plan because the rest have started to catch up.  

Note: this article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 27/09/2020 Hoffenheim shock Bayern Munich

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Faisal Caesar