The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bayern

  • Bundesliga: Kane blanks as Bayern suffers first league loss

    Bundesliga: Kane blanks as Bayern suffers first league loss

    Bayern Munich’s 27-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga came to an abrupt end on Saturday as struggling Augsburg produced a shock victory at the Allianz Arena.

    Japanese defender Hiroki Ito had headed Bayern in front midway through the first half, but goals from Arthur Chaves and Han-Noah Massengo inside the final 15 minutes turned the match in the visitors’ favour.

    Bayern suffering a first league defeat of the season looked unlikely when Ito headed in from a Michael Olise corner in the 23rd minute, giving the former Crystal Palace winger a league-leading 14th assist of the campaign.

    However, Bayern looked unusually vulnerable in defence and were lucky that Robin Fellhauer’s vicious strike in first-half injury-time hit the woodwork.

    If that was a warning sign for Vincent Kompany’s side, it wasn’t heeded.

    Minutes after Elvis Rexhbecaj blazed over when through on goal, Chaves beat Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig to a corner to head into an unguarded net.

    Urbig started in place of the rested Manuel Neuer as one of four changes Kompany made to his side, but never really looked comfortable.

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    Having lost each of the eight matches in which they fell behind this season, here Augsberg turned things around when Massengo finished off a stunning team goal nine minutes from time to stun the defending champions.

    Bayern pushed hard for an equaliser but Olise – who now has four goals and seven assists in his past five league outings – hit the crossbar from distance with the final kick of the match.

    Harry Kane had a quiet afternoon and could not help Bayern score at least twice for what would have been a record-extending 27th Bundesliga game.

    This surprise defeat means Bayern remain 11 points clear of closest challengers Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table, having played one game more.

    Augsburg, who were winless in their previous five matches, move up to 13th in the standings, four points clear of the relegation play-off place.

    BBC

  • Gunners maintain perfect European run, beat Bayern 3-1

    Gunners maintain perfect European run, beat Bayern 3-1

    Arsenal controlled the match from the outset and opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Jurrien Timber met Bukayo Saka’s corner with a firm header—Arsenal’s 10th goal from a corner this season, the most of any team in Europe’s top five leagues.

    Bayern, however, grew into the contest after falling behind and drew level 10 minutes later. Joshua Kimmich delivered a sweeping crossfield pass to Serge Gnabry, who squared the ball for 17-year-old Lennart Karl to finish from close range. It was the first goal Arsenal had conceded in the competition this season, but it didn’t derail their momentum.

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    Arsenal restored their advantage when England winger Noni Madueke guided in a powerful cross from substitute Riccardo Calafiori.

    The Gunners then sealed the victory as north London derby hero Eberechi Eze lofted a perfectly weighted pass over the defence, allowing Gabriel Martinelli to round Manuel Neuer—who found himself stranded—and hand Bayern Munich their first defeat of the season.

  • Jackson set for Bayern loan & Nkunku joins Milan

    Jackson set for Bayern loan & Nkunku joins Milan

    Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is set to join Bayern Munich on loan with an option to buy, while Christopher Nkunku has completed a £36m move to AC Milan.

    France forward Nkunku, 27, has signed a five-year contract with the Serie A side to end his two-year stay at Stamford Bridge.

    The Blues, meanwhile, will receive an initial loan fee of £13m (15m euros) for fellow attacker Jackson, while Bayern have a £56.2m (65m euro) purchase option for the Senegal international.

    Jackson, 24, has already agreed a pre-contract with Bayern and has been given permission to travel to Germany to complete the move, while a sell-on clause has been included in the deal.

    The sale of Nkunku, coupled with Jackson’s impending departure, will further boost Chelsea’s financial position.

    Read Also: Chelsea set £100m price tag on Jackson

    The Blues have raised about £309m this summer from player sales, once add-ons are included, having spent about £277m on new signings.

    Sales are important to Chelsea this summer because of Uefa sanctions – which included a fine of 31m euros (£26.7m)- to maintain a “positive transfer balance” in this window to register new signings for the Champions League.

    Nkunku scored 18 goals and provided five assists in 62 matches for the Blues, having joined from RB Leipzig for about £52m in 2023.

    He played a significant role in Chelsea winning the Club World Cup and Conference League last season.

    BBC

  • Bayern prepare to sign Olise

    Bayern prepare to sign Olise

    Bayern Munich are set to sign Michael Olise after the Crystal Palace winger decided to join the Bundesliga giants.

    Bayern, Chelsea and Newcastle had all contacted Palace earlier this month to register their interest in the 22-year-old.

    A deal was expected to be complex, with Olise’s release clause worth in the region of £60m, and percentages of any transfer due to Palace, the player himself, and his former club Reading.

    Chelsea are understood to have had concerns about the overall cost of the deal.

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    They had unsuccessfully attempted to sign the France Under-21 international for a fee in the region of £35m last summer, thinking they had activated his release clause.

    He subsequently signed a new four-year deal at Selhurst Park, lasting until 2027.

    Olise has been picked in the France squad for the Paris Olympics, which start in July.

    He scored 10 goals in 19 appearances for Palace last season, having missed several games with a hamstring injury.

    Manchester United had previously shown an interest in Olise but are focusing on targets in other positions.

  • Kane scores but Bayern lose at Stuttgart

    Kane scores but Bayern lose at Stuttgart

    Harry Kane scored his 36th Bundesliga goal of the season but Bayern Munich lost 3-1 against Stuttgart at the MHPArena.

    The England captain levelled from the spot in the 37th minute after Serge Gnabry was fouled.

    Stuttgart opened the scoring inside half an hour after Leonidas Stergiou slotted home his first Bundesliga goal.

    Jeong Woo-yeong put Stuttgart back in the lead late on before Silas secured a famous win in stoppage time.

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    The tempo dropped from Thomas Tuchel’s side in the second half with Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg clash with Real Madrid fast approaching.

    Stuttgart, who move to within two points of Bayern in second, controlled much of the possession and pressed the Bavarians throughout the 90 minutes.

    With Sebastian Hoeness’ side on the front foot, Bayern countered with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting racing through on goal but meekly putting his effort wide.

  • Rangnick snubs Bayern to stay as Austria coach

    Rangnick snubs Bayern to stay as Austria coach

    Ralf Rangnick  has said he wished to continue as Austria head coach, with Euro 2024 the immediate goal, delivering a fresh blow to Bayern Munich in their search for a replacement for outgoing boss Thomas Tuchel.

    The 65-year-old former Manchester United interim manager had been tipped to replace Tuchel, who leaves at the end of the season after just two years in charge, having failed to secure Bayern a 12th successive Bundesliga crown.

    Austria have discovered a rich run of form since Rangnick took over in April 2022, winning 11 of their past 14 matches, losing just one.

    However, the Austrians have a tough group to negotiate their way through at Euro 2024.

    They kick off their campaign in Germany against France on June 17, followed by Poland four days later and round it off against the Netherlands on June 25.

     “I am the Austrian team boss with all my heart,” Rangnick said in a statement released by the Austrian FA (OeFB). “This task gives me incredible joy and I am determined to successfully continue on our chosen path.

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     “I would like to expressly emphasise that this is not a rejection of FC Bayern, but a decision for my team and our common goals. Our full concentration is on the European Championship.

     “We will do everything we can to get as far as possible.”

    Austrian FA sporting director Peter Schoettel said he was “extremely happy”.

     “We understood that he had two very attractive options and gave him the time to weigh everything up in peace,” he said.

     “We are proud that he has decided for Austria.”

    Rangnick is the latest high profile coach who has preferred to remain in his present job and not take the Bayern post.

    Xabi Alonso, who guided Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, ending Bayern’s 11-year stranglehold, and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann also reportedly declined their advances.

    In April, former midfielder Alonso disappointed not only Bayern but another of his former clubs Liverpool when he pledged himself to Leverkusen.

    Nagelsmann ended any hopes of him returning to Bayern for the moment as he extended his deal with the national team.

    Tuchel still has a chance of bowing out with a second Champions League crown, having won with Chelsea in 2021.

    Bayern travel to Real Madrid for next Wednesday’s second leg of their semi-final tied at 2-2.

  • Revealed: Bayern, Tuchel parted ways

    Revealed: Bayern, Tuchel parted ways

    Bayern Munich said Wednesday they would part ways with coach Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season, as the reigning German champions struggled to stay in the Bundesliga title race.

    “We came to the decision to end our working relationship by mutual agreement in the summer,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said in a statement, following talks with Tuchel.

    The coach, whose contract was set to run through to 2025, would exit the club on June 30 this year.

    “Until then, I will of course continue to do everything I can with my coaching staff to achieve maximum success,” Tuchel said in the statement.

    Bayern would look for a “new footballing direction” under a different coach next season, CEO Dreesen said.

    Tuchel’s pre-emptive dismissal comes after three straight defeats, including a painful 3-0 loss to league rivals Bayer Leverkusen.

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    With 12 games left in the season, Bayern sit eight points behind Xabi Alonso’s side, who have yet to lose during the campaign.

    Leverkusen are on an historic 32-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, equalling a record set by Hansi Flick’s Bayern across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

    Bayern subsequently slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Italian side Lazio in the Champions League round of 16 and a humiliating 3-2 loss to lowly Bochum in the league.

    After the horror run of form, Tuchel admitted Bayern’s chances of winning the Bundesliga title were “not so realistic”.

    The manager brushed off talk that he might be immediately replaced, but his planned exit reflects the uncompromisingly high standards at the Bavarian giants.

    Tuchel was “never really a fit” for Bayern, the Tagesspiegel daily said after the announcement.

    But the fact that Tuchel would stay on “shows the club leadership no longer believe in the team itself”.

    In his statement, Dreesen explicitly put the pressure on the squad to make something of the season.

    “In the Champions League in particular… we are convinced we will reach the quarter-finals at a packed Allianz Arena with our fans behind us,” Dreesen said.

    In the end, Tuchel suffered the same fate as his predecessor Julian Nagelsmann, who was fired in March last year with the perennial German champions second in the league.

    Bayern bosses pounced to make highly rated Tuchel their coach after his shock dismissal from Chelsea in late 2022, leaving the new man “dumbstruck” by his appointment in his own words.

    Tuchel was given a brief to salvage Bayern’s season and compete across all competitions, domestically and in Europe.

    His tenure got off to a mixed start, beating Dortmund 4-2 on his debut to leapfrog their rivals in the league before exiting the German Cup at the hands of Freiburg.

    Bayern were subsequently dumped out of the Champions League in the quarters by Manchester City and muddled through the end of the league season.

    Only a slip by Dortmund, who drew 2-2 with Mainz, allowed Tuchel’s side past to seal Bayern’s 11th straight Bundesliga trophy.

    Bayern went into this season as favourites to make it a dozen league titles in a row with new signing Harry Kane up top.

    But despite Kane leading the Bundesliga with 25 goals, Bayern have faltered in the league and were sensationally dumped out of the German Cup by third-division side Saarbruecken.

    Spats with the club leadership over transfer policy and reported differences with key players like Joshua Kimmich did nothing to help Tuchel’s case.

    Alonso’s impressive form with Bayer Leverkusen has seen his name linked with his former club Bayern, as well as a host of other top teams, including Real Madrid and Liverpool.

    “You have to be interested in Xabi Alonso now,” Bayern legend Lothar Matthaeus told Bild daily.

    “If they don’t take care of it, they’re making the next mistake,” Matthaeus said of the Bayern bosses.

    The Bavarians could equally take another tilt at convincing Jurgen Klopp to come to Munich, after he announced his own departure from Liverpool at the end of the season.

    The former Dortmund boss is however said to want to take a year out from the game before his next job.

  • Der Klassiker Knockout: Now or never as Dortmund confront wounded Bayern

    Der Klassiker Knockout: Now or never as Dortmund confront wounded Bayern

    Borussia Dortmund play host to reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich for the latest installment of Der Klassiker at Westfalenstadion this evening.

    The two teams experienced mixed fortunes in the second round of the DFB-Pokal in midweek, with BVB claiming a slender win over Hoffenheim and Bayern suffering a shock exit to third-tier outfit Saarbrucken.

    Borussia Dortmund extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to eight matches when they secured a 1-0 home victory over Hoffenheim in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.

    Just two days on from their thrilling 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, BVB returned to winning ways and booked their place in the DFB-Pokal last 16 courtesy of a first-half strike from club legend Marco Reus.

    Edin Terzic’s men now shift their focus back to the Bundesliga where they sit fourth in the table having won six and drawn three of their opening nine matches this season; only twice previously (2002-03 and 2018-19) have Dortmund made an unbeaten start to a campaign in their first nine fixtures.

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    Dortmund’s Bundesliga home form has been nothing short of exceptional as they have put together a 20-game unbeaten run at Westfalenstadion dating back to August 2022, including 17 victories, although one of the three occasions when they dropped points on home soil was against Bayern in a 2-2 draw in October last year.

    That draw is notably the only time that Dortmund have avoided defeat against Bayern across the last 10 meetings between the two teams, while BVB’s last Bundesliga defeat against any opponent either home or away was a 4-2 loss to the Bavarian giants in April.

    Just three days on from their 8-0 destruction of SV Darmstadt 98 in the Bundesliga – a game that saw three first-half red cards and a Harry Kane hat-trick – Bayern Munich suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in their history when they lost 2-1 away against 3. Liga side Saarbrucken in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.

    Although Bayern boasted 75% possession and 18 shots on goal, Thomas Muller’s 16th-minute opener was cancelled out by Patrick Sontheimer on the stroke of half time, before Marcel Gaus sent the home fans into pandemonium when he netted a dramatic 96th-minute winner, with the 20-time German Cup champions crashing out in the second round for the third time in the last four seasons.

    Bayern’s “unacceptable” performance was criticized by sporting director Christoph Freund, while head coach Thomas Tuchel has denied suggestions that his side were “arrogant” or took their third-tier opponents too lightly, instead stating that his players “lacked the punch” required to get over the line.

    The Bavarian giants can ill-afford to dwell on their most recent setback as they have less than three full days to prepare for the 134th edition of Der Klassiker versus an in-form Dortmund side – the most-played fixture in German professional football which Bayern have won 66 times in total compared to BVB’s 32.

    Bayern, who sit second in the Bundesliga table and could find themselves five points adrift of the summit if current leaders Bayer Leverkusen beat Hoffenheim in the earlier kickoff, will be confident of success on Saturday as they have won 11 of their last 13 Bundesliga encounters with Dortmund, scoring at least three goals on 10 occasions.

  • Tuchel tips Bayern to stop Gladbach’s unbeaten streak

    Tuchel tips Bayern to stop Gladbach’s unbeaten streak

    Bayern Munich‘s dreadful recent record against Borussia Mönchengladbach won’t be on their minds when the sides meet today, with the champions clear favourites to win, said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel.

    The Bavarians have failed to beat the Foals in their last five matches across all competitions, with Gladbach winning three and drawing two.

    Since the 2011/12 season no other team has won more matches against Bayern in the league, with Gladbach boasting 10 victories, with nine defeats and five draws.

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    “Because we do not believe in streaks if they go against us,” Tuchel said jokingly when asked why Bayern would snap their opponents’ run. “It can happen in football that sometimes the style and the atmosphere just don’t suit you and you end up struggling against a team.

    “But we are still the favourites going into the game and are going there to win,” he told a press conference.

    Bayern have won their two Bundesliga matches this season, scoring seven goals in the process, with record signing Harry Kane having hit the ground running following his 100 million euro ($108 million) move from Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago.

    The England captain has already netted three times and delivered one assist in their wins over Werder Bremen and Augsburg.

    Gladbach have managed only one point in their opening two games and have conceded seven goals.

    “Against Gladbach we have to pick up where we left off against Werder Bremen and the second half against Augsburg,” Tuchel said.

    “We have to do our thing and not think about streaks. Tomorrow is a new game and a new start. We know what to expect.”

    “What helps is to look around in the changing room and feel that your team mates are there for you. We go into this together,” he said.

  • Neuer trains with Bayern after nine-month absence

    Neuer trains with Bayern after nine-month absence

    Bayern Munich shot-stopper Manuel Neuer has returned to training after suffer a long-term injury in a skiing accident, the club have confirmed.

    The 37-year-old broke his leg whilst on the slopes and spent nine-months sidelines.

    But the club have now confirmed he has returned to training alongside goalkeepers Tom Ritzy Hulsmann and new signing Daniel Perertz.

    A statement on Bayern’s website, read: “Good news from Sabener Straße: Manuel Neuer is back with the FC Bayern goalkeeper team on the pitch.

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    “In Monday morning’s training session for the players who didn’t start against FC Augsburg on Sunday, the 37-year-old captain completed a session with his goalkeeping colleagues for the first time since breaking his lower right leg.

    “Neuer has been sidelined since sustaining the injury in December 2022 but has now taken the next step on the comeback trail.”

    Israeli-born Perertz recently joined Bayern Munich from Maccabi Tel Aviv, and will compete with Neuer for a place in the starting XI.

    Hulsmann, at just 19, is another who will train with the first-team after signing his first professional contract with the Bavarian giants.

    Last December in a post on Instagram, Neuer announced his injury with a picture of himself a hospital bed with his leg in a cast, and his left hand also bandaged up.

    “Hey guys, what can I say, the end of the year could have definitely gone better…” said the 36-year-old.