Bayern Munich fell to a shock 4-2 Bundesliga defeat against Bochum just four days ahead of their return to Champions League action.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side remain nine points clear at the summit of the German top-flight with 13 rounds of the campaign left to play but this will be a concerning result.
Robert Lewandowski netted twice to take his Bundesliga tally up to 26 goals in just 22 appearances but it was not enough to prevent the humbling defeat at Bochum.
The Poland marksman opened the scoring in the ninth minute as he netted from a Kingsley Coman assist, before the hosts responded with four unanswered goals.
Christopher Antwi-Adjej levelled the score within five minutes and in the 38 th minute, a penalty from Bochum striker Jurgen Locadia put the hosts in front for the first time.
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Locadia’s penalty was the first of three goals within an incredible six-minute spell for Thomas Reis’s side, who moved up to 11 th in the Bundesliga standings.
Full-back Cristian Gamboa scored an outstanding goal to make it 3-1 before the game was seemingly decisively taken away from Bayern a minute before the half-time break as Gerrit Holtmann added another for Bochum.
Nagelsmann responded for Bayern at the break by withdrawing central defender Dayot Upamecano for Corentin Tolisso but it was not enough to signal a major sea-change in the game.
Perhaps with one eye on the midweek Champions League encounter against Red Bull Salzburg, Thomas Muller and Coman were both withdrawn midway through the second half as Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Marcel Sabitzer were introduced.
Bayern did not give up hope of finding a way back into the game and with 15 minutes remaining, they set up a nervy finish as Lewandowski bagged his second of the encounter.
Yet there was not enough time for the German champions to respond in a similar repeat to an infamous 1976 meeting between the sides, when Bochum led 4-0 at half-time to incredibly lose the game 6-5.
It ended Bayern’s run of three successive victories in the division having stumbled to a surprise 2-1 loss at home to Borussia Monchengladbach last month following the league’s resumption after the winter break.
Indeed, Nagelsmann’s side have won 13 of their 15 matches across all competitions and remain one of the most in-form teams in European football.
However, Saturday’s result will bring about unwelcome questions and comparisons to their stunning 5-0 loss in the DFB Pokal to Gladbach back in October.
Bayern will now make the short trip to Austria on Wednesday to face Red Bull Salzburg – who are in the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time in their history.
The German champions will host Bundesliga basement side Greuther Furth in their next league outing next Sunday.
