Bayern Munich had Dayot Upamecano sent off in a 3-2 defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach that dealt a fresh blow to their hopes of winning an 11th consecutive Bundesliga title.
The French defender received his marching orders in the eighth minute for a messy challenge, and goals from Lars Stindl, Jonas Hofmann and Marcus Thuram lifted Gladbach to a deserved win. Hofmann scored one and had two assists in a masterclass.
Daniel Farke's home side had won just one of their past five league games, but they did well here, reasserting themselves in the second half after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting equalised Stindl's opener before the break. Mathys Tel's late strike for Bayern was scant consolation.
It leaves Bayern in danger of being knocked down to second place when Union Berlin face Schalke on Sunday, while Borussia Dortmund will have the chance to move level on points with Julian Nagelsmann's Bavarians when they host Hertha Berlin.
Bayern made a dreadful start, with Dayot Upamecano ordered off after bringing down Alassane Plea who got goal-side of the centre-back after a hopeful long ball.
The home side snatched a 13th-minute lead when a free-kick on the right was played by Hofmann to captain Stindl on the edge of the penalty area and his low strike found the bottom-right corner, beating Yann Sommer.
Bayern made a tactical change, replacing captain Thomas Muller with defender Joao Cancelo, but Stindl should have had a second goal for Gladbach in the 24th minute when he shot six inches wide after being picked out on the penalty spot by Kouadio Kone.
It was a major let-off and Bayern drew level in the 35th minute when Alphonso Davies dashed down the left and played a low centre that Choupo-Moting drove past Jonas Omlin for his eighth league goal of the season.
Yet it was Gladbach who struck next, in the 55th minute, when Plea's smart pass across goal from the right was calmly slotted in by Hofmann. It was also his eighth goal of the campaign, and Plea's eighth assist.
Ramy Bensebaini rattled the Bayern crossbar moments later, while at the other end Cancelo sent a drive from the edge of the box into the side-netting and Davies shot wildly wide.
Thuram looked to have sealed victory in the 84th minute, turning in a pass from Hofmann, before Tel turned in Bayern's second from close range in stoppage time amid a frantic finish.
What does it mean?
Bayern cannot buy a win when they ship the opening goal on league duty. They have now failed to win their last eight games when conceding first in the Bundesliga, and that is a problem for a champion team.
Great teams find a way, and on the evidence of much of this season, not just this setback, we are possibly not looking at a great Bayern.
Nagelsmann is winless in five games now against Gladbach in all competitions since joining Bayern (D2, L3).
French folly
It was a Frenchman who was the toast of Bayern in the 1-0 win at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, when Kingsley Coman got the only goal.
Here it was another Frenchman in Upamecano whose clumsy defending proved costly. The red card was his third in the Bundesliga, and first since June 6, 2020, when he was an RB Leipzig player.
It was also the earliest a red card has been shown in the Bundesliga this season.
Gladbach pair at it again
Stindl and Hofmann rarely give Bayern a quiet moment. On this occasion, Stindl's goal was his eighth goal involvement against Bayern in the Bundesliga, while Hofmann's assist was his ninth such involvement against the champions.
Hofmann's 10th involvement came when he fired home to give the hosts a 2-1 lead, and his 11th brought about the hosts' third. Among current Bundesliga players, nobody has been involved in more goals against Bayern, with Marco Reus also on 11 involvements.
What's next?
Bayern will be back on home turf next weekend when they host Union Berlin on the Sunday. Gladbach do not have to wait so long for another Bundesliga game, with a trip to Mainz coming up on Friday.
Phil Neville sacked as manager with Inter Miami bottom of Eastern Conference
Phil Neville has been sacked as manager of MLS side Inter Miami.
The 46-year-old has paid the price for a poor run of form, with the 1-0 defeat to New York Red Bulls proving the final straw.
Neville, who was appointed in January 2021 after his resignation as England Women boss, leaves the club bottom of the Eastern Conference following four successive defeats.
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Co-owner David Beckham, who is Neville’s ex-Manchester United and England team-mate and friend, said it was the right time to make the change.
“When we appointed Phil we knew he would give Inter Miami his all and I have watched him work incredibly hard and with real commitment towards the ambitions we set out for the club,” he said on the club’s official website.
“He and his family embraced Miami and he has devoted himself to the drive to bring success to the city and to our fans. Phil has made a real contribution to the culture of our club with his qualities as a leader and knowledge as a coach.
“Sometimes in this game we have to make the toughest decisions and sadly we feel the time is right to make a change. I want to personally thank Phil for his hard work, his passion for our club and for his integrity as a person.”
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Neville attracted attention recently after he swore at a reporter during a press conference, having been interrupted during an answer.
He said: “I would like to thank the Inter Miami CF ownership group for their trust and making me a part of this project; the players and staff for their impressive commitment, dedication and hard work; and the fans for their unwavering support for the club since day one.
“I’m grateful to have played a part in the growth of this club and wish Inter Miami CF all the best in the future.”
Kris Doolan insists Partick Thistle will not sit back in second leg
Kris Doolan insists Partick Thistle will go for goals again in their cinch Premiership play-off final second leg after their 2-0 win over 10-man Ross County at Firhill.
Jags winger Aidan Fitzpatrick opened the scoring in the ninth minute before 16-year-old Staggies defender Dylan Smith was sent off by referee David Munro eight minutes later for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, after the official upgraded a yellow card to red following the intervention of the VAR Andrew Dallas.
Striker Brian Graham volleyed in a second for the Championship outfit just before the break to give them the advantage for the return game in Dingwall.
Boss Doolan said: “It was a brilliant win for us – but it could have been more.
“If you’d offered us 2-0 before the game, we would obviously have taken your hand off. But it could have been more. To me, it maybe should have been more.
“Part of that is down to Ross County defending well and throwing their bodies on the line.
“Their goalie also made a good save at the end to tip one on to the bar. If we had managed to get a third, it might well have been a different game.
“But we know it’s not over. There’s still another game to be played on Sunday. We only have one way of playing – and we will go out and look to do the same in Dingwall.
“We know that if we can go there and win the game, we will be back in the Premiership.”
Staggies boss Malky Mackay was happy to leave Glasgow only two goals down and retains belief for the second leg.
He said: “We started fairly brightly and created a couple of half chances.
“But we lost a bad goal. It was a great strike from Fitzpatrick but poor defending from our lads that were out facing it.
“I thought we were doing okay at that point but then we lost young Dylan.
“He’s a great kid and has been terrific in his first season as a pro but in retrospect he’s nicked the boy and it was a sending off.
“That obviously gives us a mountain to climb.
“We then lose the goal just before half-time and when I got the boys back inside, I said to them the challenge was to make sure we come out here no worse than two-down.
“I didn’t want us to sink in to our own penalty box as that would have just been carnage. So to see us threaten them a few times was what I needed.
“Second half I was really proud of them and at only two-down, there is plenty to play for on Sunday.”
Partick Thistle hold upper hand after first-leg victory over Ross County
Partick Thistle are in the box seat for a return to the cinch Premiership following their 2-0 play-off final first leg win over 10-man Ross County at Firhill.
Jags winger Aidan Fitzpatrick opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a terrific strike before 16-year-old Staggies defender Dylan Smith was sent off by referee David Munro eight minutes later for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, after the official upgraded a yellow card to red following the intervention of the VAR Andrew Dallas.
In front of 7,291 fans, Thistle’s 35-year-old striker Brian Graham volleyed in a second for the Championship outfit just before the break to take his season tally to 21 and the home side could and should have scored more against a team a man down for most of the game.
However, Kris Doolan’s inventive side – now unbeaten in 11 games – will travel to Dingwall for the second leg on Sunday, buoyed with confidence while Malky Mackay’s men must dig deep if they are to retain their top-flight status.
Thistle, the first club to reach a Premiership play-off final after finishing fourth in the second tier, exploded into the game.
Winger Steve Lawless’s drive after skipping past Smith was saved by Staggies keeper Ross Laidlaw for a corner which he held.
However, the home side were soon ahead.
Fitzpatrick took a crossfield pass from Lawless, nipped in between Victor Loturi and Owura Edwards and from 16 yards curled the ball past Laidlaw into the far corner of the net before taking the acclaim of the fans.
More drama followed.
Smith was initially booked by Munro for fouling Fitzpatrick on the edge of the box as he attempted to race through on goal.
However, after going off to check the pitch side monitor – VAR was in operation for the first time at Firhill – the referee returned to flash a red and the visitors were down to 10 men, with defender Keith Watson immediately coming on for striker Alex Samuel before skipper Ross Docherty lifted the free-kick well over the bar.
In the 34th minute Graham connected with a Kyle Turner corner but Laidlaw was down smartly to save.
County edged forward as often as they could but they appeared susceptible to losing a second, with Graham thundering a drive over from the edge of the box.
The former Ross County and Dundee United forward was much more accurate from another Turner corner, volleying in from 12 yards to send the Glasgow side into the break on a high.
Ben Purrington replaced George Harmon, who had been booked, for the start of the second half as the Dingwall side looked to keep themselves in the tie but within minutes Thistle’s Kevin Holt had volleyed over the Staggies crossbar from eight yards.
Thistle then swarmed all over the visitors and should have added to their lead.
Graham had a goal-bound drive blocked for a corner by centre-back Jack Randall before Scott Tiffoney also saw his effort from inside the box hit County defender Connor Randall and then Laidlaw somehow kept out a close-range header from Graham.
County hinted at a threat occasionally and in the 64th minute Jags defender Aaron Muirhead brilliantly blocked a shot from Staggies forward Jordan White.
The Dingwall side pushed for a lifeline which never arrived, the home side finishing in control with substitute Danny Mullen cracking the bar with a powerful drive and they will surely travel to Dingwall on Sunday more in belief than hope.
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