Bayern Munich suffered a shock 2-1 loss to third tier side Saarbrücken, currently 15th in their table, as they were eliminated from the DFB Pokal. The Bavarians fielded only one central defender, with Matthijs De Ligt suffering yet another injury, leaving only Kim Min Jae as the available central defender.
Thomas Muller found the back of the net 16 minutes into the game, suggesting it would be a comfortable win early on in the game. But, they were shocked in the 96th minute as Marcel Gaus scored a second goal for his side to eliminate the record champions with their only shot of the second half.
Bayern Munich eliminated from DFB Pokal in shocking loss to Saarbrücken
Head coach Thomas Tuchel opted to rest first team stars Harry Kane, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and Jamal Musiala. De Ligt only recently returned from injury, and has now damaged his MCL which will see him sidelined for Der Klassiker this weekend at the very least.
The Bundesliga champions conjured several chances to take the lead once again after Sontheimer’s equaliser in the first half stoppage time. In spite of being on the front foot the entirety of the second half, they were unable to break through the opposition’s defense.
Bayern Munich’s loss ended their hopes for the Pokal for a third straight year, after RB Leipzig won it twice in a row. But, with the defending champions also eliminated, we will now see a new team win the trophy this year.
On the other hand, the January transfer window can’t come soon enough for Bayern, who are in desperate need of defensive and midfield reinforcement owing to constant injuries in their squad.
