Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 Bayern Munich
No other Bundesliga club has earned as many points against Bayern Munich as Borussia Monchengladbach since 2014 (14 points from 10 games).
In addition, a total of 20 home wins against Bayern is a league best against the record champions.
So, there was always a feeling this may be a tough afternoon for Bavaria and new interim coach Hansi Flick.
Gladbach have been one of the revelations of the season, their free-flowing, attacking style of play under new boss Marco Rose handing them nine wins from 13 league assignments and the best home record in the 2019/20 campaign before kick-off, with five wins, one draw and one defeat.
Yet, even in adversity, you go against the SBOBET Bundesliga betting odds and the champions at your peril. This was a genuine test for Rose and his title hopefuls. Were they up to it?
Highlights of the game
If you had asked the question for the first hour of this contest, the answer would likely have been an emphatic ‘no’.
A big part of their task, of course, was keeping a certain frontman quiet. Robert Lewandowski has created more Bundesliga highlights than most in the modern era and last month became the first player in Bundesliga history to score in the first 11 match-days in a season when he netted twice against former club Borussia Dortmund.
With 16 goals in 13 league games and a healthy smattering in cup competitions too, the hosts knew they had to keep a close eye on him.
But on a milestone afternoon personally, it was his team-mate Thomas Muller who came within inches of opening the scoring early on, although he was unable to convert a Corentin Tolisso delivery with Yann Sommer beaten.
It was a similar scenario soon afterwards as Lewandowski curled the ball narrowly wide, again with the hosts helpless.
Frenchman Tolisso was unfortunate as he had to leave the fray before the midway point of the first half clutching his hamstring – yet his replacement Ivan Perisic ensured there was to be no respite for the home side.
It was all Bayern and Sommer kept them out when he claimed the ball, at the second attempt, from a Joshua Kimmich drive.
It took 43 minutes for the home side to register a shot at goal and they would have been relieved to still be level at the break after being outplayed for long spells.
They weren’t for long.
Four minutes after the restart, Bayern had a deserved lead as Perisic drove forward, exchanged passes with Muller and rifled in an unstoppable shot past Sonner, who somehow got a hand to it but was unable to keep it out.
Incredibly, the home side were level with their next attack.
Jonas Hofman delivered a corner and Ramy Bensebaini was left unmarked to head home the equaliser.
Suddenly, the hosts were a different outfit and, while they weren’t creating chances galore, nor were they being picked open time and time again by the champions as they had been in the first half.
Yet just when it seemed the match was to finish with a flurry of bookings, what could be a moment of the season arrived.
Substitute Javi Martinez had already been booked when he clattered into Marcus Thuram and, as he saw a second yellow card, Bensebaini kept his cool to ensure most of the stadium lost theirs.
When the ball hit the back of the net, the noise inside the Borussia-Park was immense. Leaders 2 Champions 1.
Monchengladbach are back on top – and no-one have thought that would happen at half-time!
Key statistics
Gladbach are top of the table with 31 points; they were only in a better position at this stage in the 1976/77 season – a year they went on to win the title.
The last time they hosted Bayern as league leaders was that same season, when they won 1-0 with a goal from Allan Simonsen.
Bayern had the same gap to the top (seven points) in February 2019, before fighting back to successfully defend their title.
This was Muller’s 332nd league appearance for Bayern, matching his former teammate Philipp Lahm. Both are ranked 10th in the club’s all-time appearance list.
After winning their first four competitive matches under Flick without conceding, Bayern have lost two in a row 2-1.
This was home captain Lars Stindl’s first Bundesliga start since April when he fractured his shin.
Lewandowski has scored only four times in 16 games against Gladbach, losing half of those, drawing two and winning just six.
Between 1969 and 1977, Bayern (1969, 1972, 1973 and 1974) and Gladbach (1970, 1971, 1975 and 1977) shared the Bundesliga title between them.
What’s next?
It’s European combat for both clubs in midweek as Monchengladbach host Istanbul Basaksehir in an important Europa League tie on Thursday (December 12) before travelling to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga next weekend.
Bayern host Spurs in the Champions League on Wednesday night with qualification and top spot already assured. They then entertain Werder Bremen a week today.
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