Bayern Munich continued their miserable week with a 3-1 loss at Thomas Tuchel's former side Mainz on Saturday, opening the door for Borussia Dortmund to go top of the Bundesliga.
Jude Bellingham, a Donyell Malen brace and Mats Hummels gave Dortmund a 4-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt and a one-point lead with five matches left as Bayern's 10-year reign looks at risk.
Mainz went 10 unbeaten after Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer's mistake allowed Ludovic Ajorque to cancel out Sadio Mané's opener and Leandro Barreiro completed the home comeback on 73 minutes, with Aaron Martin adding the gloss on his 26th birthday.
Bayern were held by Hoffenheim last weekend before going out of the Champions League in midweek at the hands of Manchester City as their season threatens to implode.
The club's hierarchy have come under intense scrutiny this week, with their decision to ditch coach Julian Nagelsmann and replace him with Tuchel last month backfiring after the Champions League exit added to their German Cup elimination.
Bayern captain Thomas Müller told Sky: "The defeat will always be a brutal disappointment and very different to what we expected.
"Our game at the moment is full of mistakes. I myself made many errors today. We didn't have the power to come back, the 3-1 broke our back. We've had so many setbacks of late. I don't understand how we have got into this situation."
Pal Dardai's third stint in charge of bottom side Hertha Berlin got off to a terrible start, Marvin Ducksch netting a hat-trick in a 4-2 away win for Werder Bremen. Fourth-bottom Bochum lost 5-1 at home to Wolfsburg. Cologne won 3-1 at Hoffenheim, who are not yet safe.
On Friday, third-bottom VfB Stuttgart drew 1-1 at Augsburg. Second-bottom Schalke visit Champions League-chasing Freiburg on Sunday when fourth-placed RB Leipzig go to Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin, in third, visit Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Bayern's Tuchel, also an ex-Dortmund coach, was facing a Mainz side where he began his Bundesliga managerial career from 2009 to 2014.
It was Mané's first start since being suspended by the club for one game for punching team-mate Leroy Sané and the Senegal forward had an early effort ruled out for offside.
But he was on the scoresheet after 29 minutes, his seventh goal of the league season coming via a header from almost on the line from Joao Cancelo's superb cross.
Mané's previous Bundesliga goal came in the home win over Mainz in October before injury and poor form dogged his season.
Mainz powered up to sixth with an amazing second half which in truth had as much to do with poor Bayern defending as great home play.
Sommer — bought from Gladbach in January to fill in for broken leg victim Manuel Neuer — was exposed on 65 minutes when he spilled Lee Jae Sung's shot right onto the head of Ajorque, who nodded in.
Bayern defender Josip Stanisic was at fault for Mainz's second and Bayern fell apart to concede a third.
Dortmund's famously loud fans excitedly roared on their players in the late game and England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock on 19 minutes after a superb turn following a flowing move.
The hosts, last champions under Jürgen Klopp in 2012, left Marco Reus on the bench such are their attacking riches and Malen soon made it 2-0 after flick-ons from Sebastien Haller and Karim Adeyemi. Hummels headed in before the break and Dutchman Malen got his second on 66 minutes for a Dortmund record ninth straight home win in one season.
"We're concentrating on our games but Bayern's defeat brought some extra electricity into the stadium," said Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel as Germany enjoys the best title race in over a decade.
Former Dortmund man Mario Götze had a couple of sniffs at goal but Frankfurt dropped to ninth after being overrun by the new leaders.
- Mainz
- Bayern Munich
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
