/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2023/12/09/3841082-78054568-2560-1440.jpg "Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 Bayern Munich: Harry Kane and co. humbled in Bundesliga as hosts run riot")
Bayern Munich suffer 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayern Munich were crushed 5-1 by a ruthless Eintracht Frankfurt on a chastening afternoon in the Bundesliga for Thomas Tuchel’s side. Bayern were outfought and outthought by an inspired home side who raced into a three-goal lead, and then found it easier and easier to pick off their opponents as the reigning champions pushed harder and harder to get back into the game. Bayern’s vaunted defence had conceded just nine Bundesliga goals all season ahead of the visit to Frankfurt, but that unit fell apart in the face of a hungry home attack with Min-Jae Kim and Dayot Upamecano exposed and both full-backs replaced at half-time. It means Frankfurt close the gap to European qualification after a sputtering start to their season, now just two points behind Hoffenheim, while Bayern spurned a chance to go top.
Their cancelled game last week left them three points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen with a game in hand, but if Xabi Alonso’s side can beat Stuttgart they will open up a six-point margin at the top before Bayern face Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
However, while the blowout loss highlights Bayern Munich are far from infallible as they fell to their first league loss of the season, the Red Devils may well curse the Eagles for giving Kane and co. some added motivation in a must-win game at Old Trafford.
Talking point: Frankfurt expose Bayern failings ahead of Manchester United showdown
This wasn’t the script. As Thomas Tuchel’s side near full fitness with Matthijs de Ligt the only big name remaining on the sidelines, they’d enjoyed a rare in-season break as their game last weekend was snowed off and they’ve already been eliminated from the DfB Pokal. Bayern entered the game on the back of five successive league wins while Frankfurt hadn’t won any game in their last four, but that was turned on its head within a quarter of an hour as the hosts started much more brightly and made that pressure count through Omar Marmoush.
The goal – straight from a pathetic clearance attempt by Noussair Mazraoui – was just a sign of things to come though. Kim, nicknamed ‘The Monster’ by team-mates, looked more like a field mouse as he allowed Knauff to fight him off the ball and free Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe to score, then a wayward Kimmich pass invited Frankfurt’s third. Dina Ebimbe’s seconds early in the second half killed the game, and again resulted in a visiting defender – Upamecano this time – losing possession cheaply and inviting a Frankfurt counter-attack.
Tuchel hooked both Mazraoui and Alphonso Davies at half-time in an attempt to stem the bleeding but Erik ten Hag should certainly have taken note, and it will be interesting to see how both coaches set their stalls out at Old Trafford.
Bayern, comfortably the Bundesliga’s top scorers, did come back into the game after Marmoush’s opener and Harry Kane produced a collector’s item miss in a one-on-one with Trapp that would’ve equalised. But it likely wouldn’t have made a difference, even after Kimmich’s wondrous goal looked like it might’ve hauled his side back into it, Bayern opened the floodgates once again in the second half and Frankfurt took full advantage, sending their supporters into dreamland.
Player of the match: Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe
There were 11 players of the match all wearing Eintracht Frankfurt kits. But Dina Ebimbe still managed to shine brightest of them all, always looking for work and thinking positively as Eintracht Frankfurt took the game to their opponents from the first minute. He took his goal superbly, the first to react after Knauff won possession and showing an irresistible blend of strength and trickery to hold off Upamecano and Davies before finishing under Neuer. But his intervention seven minutes later was arguably just as important, the ball spun to Kane just yards out of the Frankfurt goal after a corner, and Dina Ebimbe gave it everything to nip in and turn the ball over the bar to safety. It was an effort deserving of a goal on its own, so it was only fair when Dina Ebimbe bagged his second five minutes after half-time to put the result beyond any doubt.