MUNICH:
Captain Thomas Mueller said Bayern Munich “came back down to earth” after a 2-1 home defeat against Freiburg on Tuesday saw them kicked out of the German Cup.
Bayern beat Dortmund 4-2 on Saturday to return to the top of the Bundesliga as Thomas Tuchel made his bow as coach after replacing the sacked Julian Nagelsmann, keeping the Bavarians on track for third.
But a penalty in injury time for Jamal Musiala’s through ball, converted by Freiburg’s Lucas Hoeler, gave the visitors their first win at Bayern.
Bayern, 20-time German Cup winners, have now been eliminated before reaching the semis for the third straight year since their treble triumph in 2019-20.
“(We are) sitting here now with broken pieces, because this year is over again in the German Cup,” said Mueller “disappointed and very disappointed” of the scored two goals. Dortmund.
“Now we’re back down to earth – or even down.”
Bayern fired Nagelsmann during the international break, although the team has only lost three in all competitions this season.
Tuchel said his new team lacked “that last bit of greed and hunger” to win.
“The goal is definitely to win and we were in a position to win,” said Tuchel, who won the 2016-17 German Cup while coaching Dortmund.
On Saturday, Bayern face fourth-placed Freiburg again, this time away from home, in the league.
Bayern are currently two points ahead of Borussia Dortmund, with eight Bundesliga games remaining, with shock rivals Union Berlin two points behind.
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