Bayern Munich loses partly thanks to acquisition Laimer: Dortmund’s ultimate chance


Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 8:24 PM• Jonathan van Haaster • Last update: 20:26

Bayern Munich seems to have lost the title in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel’s team took the lead at home via Serge Gnabry, but after the break RB Leipzig turned the title battle upside down thanks to hits by Konrad Laimer, Christopher Nkunku and Dominik Szoboszlai: 1-3. The goals of the latter two came from penalties caused by Benjamin Pavard and Noussair Mazraoui. Laimer’s equalizer was also extra spicy, as he will wear the Bayern shirt next season. Borussia Dortmund can take over the lead from Bayern again. Leipzig has qualified for the group stage of the Champions League thanks to the extremely good victory.

Tuchel had a basic place in the defense for both Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt. The two other former Ajax players, Daley Blind and Ryan Gravenberch, had to settle for a place on the bench. Tuchel also opted for a five-man midfield with Joshua Kimmich as controller. In the absence of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Serge Gnabry was at the forefront. On the side of Leipzig, trainer Marco Rose posted André Silva and Christopher Nkunku in the striker position. The latter was of great value last week with two assists in the final phase against Werder Bremen (2-1). In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai (right) and Dani Olmo (left) provided the supply forward.

After a relatively wait-and-see opening phase, Bayern got the chance to score the opening goal after more than fifteen minutes of play. João Cancelo brought the ball very nicely to Jamal Musiala, who in turn lost to Thomas Müller. The veteran came close to Janis Blaswich, who came off well. The goal boosted Bayern’s confidence and led to the opening goal ten minutes after Müller’s chance. After a smooth attack, Müller gave good to Gnabry, who lashed out devastatingly and hit the inside of the post: 1-0.

The Allianz Arena soon thought they would celebrate the 2-0, but were disappointed when it turned out that Musiala’s shot ended up in the side net. Leipzig suddenly came into the game after half an hour and Bayern could thank Sommer for not equalizing. Szoboszlai (volley), Nkunku (shot) and Olmo (header) all met the Swiss goalie. On the other hand, Leipzig got away well when the completely detached Kingsley Coman headed just wide.

After the break, little happened at first. The pace was slower than in the first half. Bayern was in two minds, while Leipzig could do little to hurt Tuchel’s team. In the 65th minute it was suddenly hit for Leipzig. The visitors took advantage of the poor organization in the back and broke out with four men. The ball was not passed well at first, but Laimer took advantage of the surplus situation by shooting the rebound nicely. Substitute Gravenberch saw how the problems got even bigger fifteen minutes before the end. Benjamin Pavard made a foul in the box and the subsequent penalty was flawlessly used by Nkunku. In the final phase, Mazraoui also caused a penalty through a handball and Szoboszlai ended the game: 1-3.

No. Team m W G v +/- Pnt
1 Bayern Munich 33 20 8 5 53 68
2 Borussia Dortmund 32 21 4 7 36 67
3 RB Leipzig 33 19 6 8 21 63
4 1. FC Union Berlin 33 17 8 8 12 59
5 SC Freiburg 33 17 8 8 8 59
6 Bayer Leverkusen 32 14 7 11 11 49
7 VfL Wolfsburg 33 13 10 10 10 49
8 Eintracht Frankfurt 33 12 11 10 5 47
9 FSV Mainz 05 32 12 9 11 2 45
10 1. FC Cologne 33 10 12 11 -4 42
11 Borussia Monchengladbach 32 10 9 13 -5 39
12 Werder Bremen 33 10 6 17 -12 36
13 TSG Hoffenheim 33 10 5 18 -9 35
14 FC Augsburg 32 9 7 16 -16 34
15 VfL Bochum 33 9 5 19 -35 32
16 Schalke 04 33 7 10 16 -34 31
17 VfB Stuttgart 32 6 11 15 -15 29
18 Hertha BSC 33 6 8 19 -28 26