Augsburg hand Bayern Munich first Bundesliga defeat since March
Augsburg shocked the Bundesliga frontrunners Bayern Munich with a 2-1 victory on Saturday, snapping a 27-game unbeaten streak in the league for their regional opponents that stretched back to March.
An early goal from Hiroki Ito put the title holders ahead, yet Augsburg responded strongly in the second half, scoring twice within six minutes through Arthur Chaves and Han-Noah Massengo.
Bayern sit in first place, while second-placed Borussia Dortmund might reduce the lead to eight points if they triumph over Union Berlin later that day.
"We must take this on board, it was not unearned. Augsburg did not control the match over us, though our win would have felt unjust too," said Bayern's Joshua Kimmich to Sky Germany.
"Towards the close, Augsburg showed greater fight. We fell short of our desired performance, yet the key now is our response to this setback."
This term, Bayern have dominated. They achieved the strongest start to a Bundesliga campaign ever, losing only four out of 54 available points across 18 fixtures.
The home side appeared headed for an easy success after Ito nodded in a corner from Michael Olise on the 23-minute mark.
Augsburg, who had not secured a league win since early December, equalised when Chaves capitalised on an error by Bayern's substitute keeper Jonas Urbig, levelling the score at the 76-minute point.
Massengo then completed a fine collective effort to give Augsburg the edge, paving the way for their initial victory in Munich since 2015.
Olise struck the upright in added time, but Augsburg clung on to claim a notable success.
More than 400 kilometres distant, supporters of Bayer Leverkusen rejoiced at Bayern's stumble, singing "the sole unbeaten title holder," as they upheld their status as the only flawless Bundesliga champions from the 2023-24 season.
Leverkusen defeated Werder Bremen 1-0, courtesy of a lone strike by ex-Real Madrid back Lucas Vazquez, ending a trio of losses and rising to sixth position.
In other action, unexpected Hoffenheim strengthened their claim on a top-four berth via a 3-1 turnaround at faltering Eintracht Frankfurt.
Frankfurt, fresh from dismissing manager Dino Toppmoeller the previous Sunday, went ahead via Arnaud Kalimuendo, only for Hoffenheim to flip the script with three strikes in 13 second-half minutes.
Max Moerstedt and Ozan Kabak netted, followed by an own goal from Aurele Amenda, enabling Hoffenheim, who battled against drop last year, to firm up third place, trailing Dortmund by three points.
RB Leipzig eased to a 3-0 success against Heidenheim, advancing to fourth on goals by Ridle Baku, Antonio Nusa, and skipper David Raum.
Mainz overcame Wolfsburg 3-1, sustaining their upturn. From the foot of the table at the festive period, Mainz gathered nine points over their latest six outings to reach the playoff position for survival.