Bayern Munich demolished TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on matchday 24 at the Rhein Neckar Arena.
Before the protest and stoppage of play, Bayern Munich annihilated the hosts TSG Hoffenheim by an emphatic scoreline of 6-0. The Bavarians blitzed the hosts right from the beginning going up 3-0 within the first 15 minutes, and then throughout the next 60 minutes, three more goals were added. It was an impressive performance from Bayern, who were without their star striker Robert Lewandowski who is out with injury.
The first goal came in the 2nd minute from Serge Gnabry, who received a pin-point cross from Thomas Muller. The German winger deposited the ball in the back of the net after a deflection from the Hoffenheim goalkeeper. Joshua Kimmich added the second in the 7th minute, and then teenager Joshua Zirkzee scored the third in the 15th minute. Philippe Coutinho finally got on the score sheet in the 33rd minute for Bayern’s fourth, and then got his brace right after halftime in the 47th minute. Leon Goretzka came on as a substitute and scored Bayern’s sixth in the 62nd minute.
Bayern were cruising till 75 minutes. The visitors kept on pressing for more goals. However, fan protests against Hoffenheim’s owner Dietmar Hopp forced the referee to stop the game, and players briefly left the field. When the players came back on the pitch, the teams just passed around each other for the last 15 minutes of the match.
This could potentially be very problematic as the match had to be stopped, and fans of Bayern should expect some sort of repercussions for the ultras’ actions. Bayern present themselves as a team of class and dignity, and this demonstration by the away fans will leave a black mark on the club. Hopefully, this will be resolved quickly, and no points will be taken away from the team. Here are four takeaways from the match.