Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel on Sunday said that winning this season’s Bundesliga title was “not so realistic right now” after a loss which left Xabi Alonso’s Bayer 04 Leverkusen eight points clear at the top.
The 3-2 defeat at lowly VfL Bochum was Bayern’s third reverse in a row, after a 3-0 thumping by Alonso’s league leaders the previous weekend and a 1-0 midweek loss at SS Lazio in the UEFA Champions League.
The German champions have not lost three matches in a row since 2015, a run which included semi-final defeats to Barcelona in the Champions League and Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal.
Photo: AP
Asked if his job was in danger, Tuchel said “there is no point worrying about it.”
Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen told reporters Tuchel would “of course” be in the dugout against RB Leipzig on Saturday.
“I don’t believe in making these huge statements of support for the coach. I know what people want to hear, but these oaths of allegiance can be over after a week. That’s why I’m saying it my way,” Dreesen said. “[Tuchel’s firing] is not an issue we’re considering at the moment. We have to concentrate on the next few games.”
Bayern were 1-0 up after Jamal Musiala’s opener, but ended up 3-1 down with 10 minutes remaining, Dayot Upamecano giving away a penalty and getting sent off, having also seen red at Lazio when giving away a spot-kick.
A late Harry Kane goal gave Bayern hope, but Tuchel said “everything that could go wrong, did go wrong” for his side.
Tuchel said his side would continue to fight to close the eight-point gap with Leverkusen with 12 games remaining.
Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka, who has never not won the league title since moving to Munich in 2018, told DAZN “it is difficult to say yes” when asked if his side could still win the Bundesliga.
“Everything speaks against us at the moment, but it’s the wrong question to ask ourselves,” he said. “We need to find our game back — and win our matches.”
Bochum-born Goretzka described his side’s week as “like a horror movie which won’t end.”
Leverkusen play at home to relegation-threatened Mainz on Friday, meaning Bayern could be 11 points behind when they host Leipzig on Saturday.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS