In a 2-1 loss to third-tier Saarbruecken on Wednesday, Bayern Munich was eliminated from the German Cup. Head coach Thomas Tuchel stated that defender Matthijs de Ligt had suffered a “very painful” knee injury before to this weekend’s “Klassiker” against Borussia Dortmund.
Thomas Müller gave Bayern the lead in the 16th minute of the second round match, and it appeared as though they would win easily. However, Saarbruecken pulled one back shortly before the break, and Marcel Gaus won it with a deflected drive in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Saarbruecken’s replacements and staff ran onto the field to celebrate in a huddle with the players after the final whistle.
In the 24th minute, Dutch defender de Ligt was substituted out. Dayot Upamecano, who has been sidelined for the past month due to a hamstring injury, and Kim Min-jae are the only other specialized center backs in Bayern’s first team roster. Joshua Kimmich, a midfielder, had to drop back to play defense alongside Kim as a result.
According to Bayern coach Tuchel, it seems to be a recurrence of the three-week-long knee injury that de Ligt sustained in September. “This knee and the joint capsule are the same as before. Although it hurts a lot, no diagnosis has been made yet,” he stated.
Due to his suspension following his red card last week, Kimmich will not be available for Saturday’s “Klassiker” against Dortmund. Midfielder Leon Goretzka is recovering from hand surgery, and forward Serge Gnabry played a half-hour off the bench on Wednesday after missing most of September due to illness and a fractured arm. After missing over ten months due to a fractured leg, Manuel Neuer participated in the entire match for Bayern.
There had been worries about the condition of the field before the game. The pitch was so wet that Saarbruecken’s final home game on Sunday had to be abandoned at halftime, prompting a massive effort to clear it in time for Bayern’s arrival.
Bayern has now lost in the German Cup’s second round for three of the last four years. Saarbruecken, which rose from the regional fourth tier in 2019–20 to the semifinals, is experiencing yet another cup thrill.
A late burst of goals was necessary for league leaders Bayer Leverkusen to advance to the third round. In a 5-2 victory over third-division Sandhausen, coach Xabi Alonso made eight changes to his squad; yet, in order to win, he had to start important players like Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz off the bench.
When Adam Hlozek headed Leverkusen back into the lead in the 85th minute, the game was on the verge of going into overtime. Amine Adli then scored twice to ensure the victory.
“We made progress today, and that’s what it’s all about,” Robert Andrich, a midfielder for Leverkusen, stated. “No one will wonder how we did it in two weeks. That game was challenging.
Dortmund defeated Hoffenheim, a fellow elite team, 1-0 thanks to a goal from Marco Reus. In stoppage time, defender Ozan Kabak was sent off for a second yellow card.
Gio Reyna, an American midfielder, made his longest outing for Dortmund since March when he started and played 70 minutes. Following a lengthy layoff following his leg fracture suffered while representing the United States versus Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League final in June, Reyna made his comeback to action last month.
Viktoria Cologne lost to Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0. Second-division Paderborn defeated Freiburg, a winner of the German Cup semifinals the previous season, 3-1 thanks to two goals from Filip Bilbija. Hertha Berlin of the second division defeated Mainz of the first division, 3-0. Mainz had lost ten games in a row across all competitions. These upsets, together with Bayern’s loss, mean that only six teams from the top division will advance to the round of 16.
