BAYERN MUNICH manager Thomas Tuchel said his team “played today like it didn’t matter”, calling the shock 1-0 home loss to Werder Bremen a “huge setback” in the title race.

Bayern’s loss on Sunday, their first against Werder Bremen in 16 years, leaves Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen seven points clear atop the Bundesliga table.

Tuchel’s men have a game in hand, to be played at home against struggling Union Berlin on Wednesday.

Bayern spent the majority of last week at a warm-weather training camp in Portugal.

“You have to ask the players,” Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel told DAZN when asked why the performance did not match up to what the team produced on the training pitch.

“We played today like it didn’t matter, as if we were 10 points ahead and had a Champions League match to play on Tuesday.

“After the Leverkusen result, we wanted to start aggressively and send a signal, but we didn’t succeed at all.”

Pre-match, Tuchel praised his side’s performance at the Portugal training camp, but said afterwards “I don’t have any desire to keep saying that we trained well, because nobody will believe me when we play like that.”

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Tuchel called the result “a huge setback” as they hope to keep pace with Leverkusen, who have dropped just six of a possible 54 points so far this season.

Leverkusen came from behind twice to beat fourth-placed Leipzig 3-2 on Saturday, the second straight week where they scored an injury-time winner.

“For 70 minutes we didn’t play like a team who wanted to win a championship” saying his side “deserved to lose.”

Bayern were held scoreless in the league for the first time in almost four years dating back to February 2020, with striker Harry Kane failing to add to his goal tally of 22 from 17 games this season.

“If we play like that we will have big problems on Wednesday (against Union)” Tuchel said.

“We have to take action, to find solutions. I have to find solutions.”

Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller told DAZN it took his team “70 minutes to realise” they had to break out of the “sluggish and lifeless” performance.

Eliminated from the German Cup by third-division Saarbruecken, Bayern face Italian side Lazio in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid produced a controversial comeback to beat winless Almeria 3-2 and move provisionally top of La Liga.

Dani Carvajal rammed home the winner in the 99th minute to settle a wild and hugely entertaining clash at the Santiago Bernabeu where Madrid had trailed 2-0.

Bottom side Almeria took a two-goal lead in the first half through Largie Ramazani’s 38th minute strike and a screamer from Edgar Gonzalez.

However Madrid battled back to triumph as Jude Bellingham converted a penalty and Vinicius Junior used his upper arm to divert home an equaliser, before Carvajal’s last-gasp winner.

“After the break we came out to go for it, and with our fans and performance, we did it,” Carvajal told Real Madrid TV.

“We knew it was up to us, that if we put some speed and intensity into the game, we could do it, (I’m) very happy.”

Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup last Sunday by thrashing Barcelona in Saudi Arabia and then lost 4-2 against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey in midweek.

“We had very little rest but you have to congratulate the team, they gave absolutely everything,” added Carvajal.

Almeria left furious after they had a goal disallowed, a penalty awarded against them and a goal against them ruled valid all by VAR decisions.

“(We leave) with the feeling we’ve been robbed,” complained Almeria midfielder Gonzalo Melero.

However Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti disagreed.

“I understand Almeria’s anger with the VAR decisions, but I think they were well judged,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“It was a strange game, the first half was very bad, I judged yesterday’s training session poorly, it was a tired team.”

Ferran Torres hit a hat-trick to inspire Barcelona to a thrilling 4-2 win over Real Betis and keep the champions in the title race.

Torres’ double put Barca ahead but they surrendered their two-goal lead as former Real Madrid playmaker Isco struck a brace of his own.

Joao Felix finished deftly in the 90th minute and Torres netted again to secure victory for the Catalans, who trail league leaders Madrid by seven points after Los Blancos scraped a 3-2 win over bottom side Almeria.

Girona, second, aim to reclaim top spot when they welcome Sevilla at Montilivi stadium later this evening.

Torres, reaching a century of appearances for Barcelona since joining from Manchester City two years ago, was decisive and said he had worked hard for his moment.

“It’s the fruit of hard work, discipline, consistency, of believing in yourself,” Torres told Movistar.

“I’m going to enjoy it, and today is my 100th Barca game so I can’t ask for more.”

– © AFP 2024