Bayern Munich were handed their first Bundesliga defeat under Vincent Kompany, losing on the road to Mainz.
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Bayern Munich suffer first Bundesliga loss of seasonBeaten 2-1 by impressive Mainz Bavarians toothless without Kane in attackFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱TELL ME MORE
Bayern have been prolific in their last two outings, scoring nine goals and conceding three. But they looked like they missed star striker Harry Kane today. The visitors started the match as the stronger side, going about their business as usual and dominating the ball. Michael Olise proved to be the main conductor for Bayern's attacks, striking the post on one occasion and narrowly missing the target on another.
But Vincent Kompany's men were sucker-punched soon before half-time. Having fought back into the contest and been the better side for much of the first half, Mainz grabbed their opener through Jae-Sung Lee. After failing to deal with a counter attack from the hosts, Armindo Sieb delivered a cross that scuffed off Olise and into the path of Lee, who calmly slotted the ball past Manuel Neuer.
Things did not get much better for them in the second half. Despite yet more possession, Bayern struggled to break down Mainz, and their worst fears were confirmed when Lee bagged his second half of the game. It was Sieb with the assist again who got in behind the defence before cutting back to the 32-year-old. With his back to goal, Lee turned and fired towards the net, seeing his shot deflected up and over Neuer in the process.
As they pushed on in the latter stages of the match, Bayern grabbed a late consolation through Leroy Sane, who mustered his side's only shot on target. They boasted nearly 70% possession but were toothless in attack without their No.9. It was a humbling first Bundesliga defeat for Kompany who will likely have some harsh words for his players back in the dressing room.
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The defeat marks Bayern's first in the Bundesliga since May, when they lost 4-2 to Hoffenheim on the final day of the 2023-24 season.
THE MVP
Without a doubt, the plaudits will go to Lee. If Mainz were to get any points against Bayern, they were going to need their stars to be clinical in front of goal. Lee was certainly that. His brace came from his only two shots on goal, which were also half of the efforts Mainz had on target across the entire game.
AFPTHE BIG LOSER
Vincent Kompany finally met his match in the German top flight and it was another Bayern performance that raised some serious questions. Die Roten mustered just a single shot on target across the 90 minutes, highlighting the significance of Kane's absence. If Bayern are to win back their Bundesliga crown, Kompany will need to find a way of adapting without the England captain if he picks up any more injuries.