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BAYERN’S "INVINCIBLE" TAG IS GONE: KOMPANY’S ROTATION GAMBLE BACKFIRED AGAINST A FEARLESS AUGSBURG

Historic upset! Augsburg end Bayern Munich's 27-game unbeaten run as debutant Arthur Chaves scores in a wild 2-1 comeback victory.

Bayern’s "Invincible" tag is gone: Kompany’s rotation gamble backfired against a fearless Augsburg
Augsburg repeated history by ending another record-breaking streak

Augsburg shocked everyone by handing Bayern Munich their first Bundesliga loss of the season, snapping the Bavarians’ 27-game unbeaten streak in style.

You have to dig back to March 2025 to find the last time Bayern lost in the league. Back then, Bochum pulled off a wild comeback at the Allianz Arena, overturning a two-goal deficit to win 3-2. That was ten months ago.

Saturday afternoon felt oddly familiar for both sides. In 2014, Augsburg ended Bayern’s record 53-game unbeaten Bundesliga run with a 1-0 win. Fast forward, and they’ve done it again. Union Berlin and Mainz both nearly pulled it off this season, but only Augsburg walked away with all three points against the record champions.

This time, debutant Arthur Chaves—who’d just arrived on Thursday—and Han-Noah Massengo scored to overturn Hiroki Ito’s opener, capping a wild second-half comeback for Manuel Baum’s team.

After watching his side drop their first league game of 2025/26, it’s safe to say Vincent Kompany expects a reaction. Especially now that Borussia Dortmund, Bayern’s closest rivals, closed the gap at the top to eight points after beating Union Berlin.

“We let a good starting position slip and just didn’t have enough energy at the end,” said Kompany. Augsburg were outstanding in the second half. Still, we kept fighting. That’s football—now we have to respond.”

Bayern controlled the early stages, but Augsburg’s defence—Cédric Zesiger, Keven Schlotterbeck, and Chaves—stood rock-solid, shutting down any real threat to keeper Finn Dahmen.

“We defended really well today,” said Baum. “And for us, it was important not just to sit back but to play actively.”

And they did just that. After halftime, Augsburg came out firing. Dimitrios Giannoulis owned the left flank, and Alexis Claude-Maurice kept Bayern’s defence on edge.

Augsburg’s pressure finally paid off. Mert Kömür swung in a corner to the far post, and Chaves, just two days into his Augsburg career, rose up and headed it home.

“I’m overjoyed. I can barely put it into words,” Chaves said. “I’ve only been here for two days—and we’ve already beaten Bayern in Munich! Feels like a dream.”

Augsburg weren’t content with a draw. They pushed for more and got it. Massengo—named Man of the Match for his relentless play—finished a slick attacking move, netting his second goal of the season.

“Scoring is always nice, but this was a team effort,” Massengo said. “We wanted to stay compact and, when the chance came, go forward bravely. That’s exactly what worked today.”

Since Baum took charge, Augsburg have only lost twice in seven games. This dramatic comeback—their first time reversing a deficit this season—pushed them four points clear of the relegation play-off spot.

Bayern’s long domestic run is over, and now their focus shifts to the Champions League against PSV, then league games against Hamburg and Hoffenheim. The schedule isn’t letting up for Germany’s most successful club. They’ll have plenty of chances to bounce back.

RELEASE CLAUSE REVEALED: DAYOT UPAMECANO’S NEW €65M EXIT OPTION BECOMES ACTIVE IN 2027

Dayot Upamecano is staying: Analyse his new 2030 Bayern Munich contract and the club's summer move for Feyenoord's Givairo Read.

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Upamecano commits to Bayern despite Real Madrid and PSG interest

Bayern Munich got a big boost last week when Dayot Upamecano finally put pen to paper on a new contract. For the past year, rumours swirled about his future, but Bayern managed to lock him in until 2030 four months before his old deal ran out.

Upamecano’s been one of Europe’s top centre-backs over the last year and a half. He’s hit his stride with Bayern, especially under Vincent Kompany. No surprise, then, that clubs like PSG and Real Madrid had their eye on him.

Bayern really hustled to get this deal over the line. They met Upamecano’s salary demands and, according to reports, included a release clause in his new contract. Keeping him around definitely shapes their transfer plans for the summer.

Speaking to Sport1 this week, Bayern’s sporting director, Max Eberl, sounded pretty laid-back about the upcoming transfer window. “We’re not under pressure with squad planning anymore. We can take our time and see what happens. Of course, we’re watching the market, and we won’t say no to anything that helps Bayern.”

Right now, Jonathan Tah and Upamecano are Kompany’s go-to centre-backs. Kim Min-jae sits third in line, while Hiroki Ito and Josip Stanisic can fill in at the back as well. Unless someone leaves, Bayern probably won’t go searching for a new centre-back.

Kim Min-jae’s name comes up in transfer talks every window, and he could be sold, but he’s done well whenever he’s played this season.

Bayern’s focus for the summer is clear: they want a full-back, especially on the right. Sacha Boey just left for Galatasaray on loan, and the Turkish side can make the deal permanent. Honestly, Boey’s days in Munich seem over, no matter what Galatasaray decides. Raphael Guerreiro also looks set to leave when his contract runs out.

For now, Konrad Laimer is Bayern’s first-choice right-back, with Stanisic and Tom Bischof able to step in if needed. Still, Bayern want to bring in a specialist for that spot. They’ve set their sights on Feyenoord’s Givairo Read. Manchester City also want him, but Bayern feel good about their chances to sign the young right-back once the window opens.

MANUEL NEUER RULED OUT FOR SEVERAL WEEKS FOLLOWING SERIOUS CALF MUSCLE TEAR

Manuel Neuer is sidelined! Discover the extent of his calf injury and how Jonas Urbig will lead Bayern against Dortmund today.

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Bayern Confirm Captain Manuel Neuer Will Miss The Dortmund Clash

Bayern Munich just hit a rough patch in their chase for the title. Manuel Neuer, the captain and backbone of the squad, tore a muscle during their win over Werder Bremen, and now he’s out for the foreseeable future. The timing couldn’t be worse. With Der Klassiker looming, Bayern will have to face Borussia Dortmund without their leader in goal. Vincent Kompany suddenly finds himself in a tight spot, counting on his backup keepers to get the team through what might be the most important stretch of the season.

The club spelt it out after running every test they could: Neuer’s dealing with a serious muscle injury. He’s 39, and this one’s not small. Bayern’s official statement didn’t sugarcoat it: “FC Bayern will have to make do without captain Manuel Neuer for the time being. The keeper suffered a torn muscle fibre in his left calf in Saturday’s Bundesliga match at Werder Bremen. This was confirmed by a thorough examination carried out by FC Bayern’s medical unit.” Not exactly news anyone in Munich wanted to hear.

For Kompany and his players, the timing stings. Losing Neuer right before the biggest game of the season against Dortmund, their fiercest rivals, leaves a huge gap. All year, Neuer’s been the steady hand at the back, and now suddenly, he’s not there for a match that could decide everything.

Right after the Bremen game, when Neuer didn’t come out for the second half, people started to worry. Max Eberl, Bayern’s board member for sport, tried to calm everyone down. “It is nothing dramatic. [He felt] something in his calf. We will see. We do, after all, have good goalkeepers in reserve.” Turns out, that optimism didn’t last. The scans showed it’s a lot more serious than Eberl hoped.

On top of all this, Neuer’s future at Bayern is a big question mark. His contract runs out at the end of the 2025-26 season, and talk about what happens next has been swirling for weeks. Kompany, though, isn’t getting pulled into speculation. Even before the injury, he made it clear: all that matters is what’s happening on the pitch right now. “In these cases, and it's the same for every player, especially when you've had a career like Manu has, you don't talk about next season,” Kompany said. “You talk and enjoy what you've got. At the moment, I have the best goalkeeper in Germany. We're still in three competitions and don't want to waste too much energy talking about next season.”

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