Bayern Munich are not infallible. Vincent Kompany’s team suffered their first setback of the Bundesliga season away at Union Berlin, courtesy of a Danilho Doekhi brace. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen swept aside bottom club FC Heidenheim.
Bayern Munich are not untouchable this season. Vincent Kompany’s side suffered their first slip of the Bundesliga campaign away to Union Berlin, thanks to a Danilho Doekhi double.
Midweek they had also beaten Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, despite playing a full half with ten men after a red card for Luis Díaz. On Saturday the Colombian, who had scored both goals for Kompany’s team in Paris, was back in the starting lineup.
That decision paid off early in terms of rhythm and threat. Bayern built patiently from the back, pulling Union’s first line side to side before accelerating through the half spaces. Just before the break Díaz rewarded that control with a precise finish from a tight angle, the sort of clipped effort that leaves a keeper frozen as it kisses the inside netting. Even so, Der Rekordmeister were never fully comfortable in the capital. Union’s plan was simple and effective. They narrowed the pitch without the ball, contested every second ball, and funneled quick transitions toward the channels where Doekhi and his partners could attack first contacts. The opener told the story. A hopeful ball became a dangerous one when Manuel Neuer hesitated, and Doekhi pounced to roll Union into a deserved lead. Ilyas Ansah briefly thought he had struck first earlier in the half, only for VAR to intervene for offside, a let off that Bayern failed to heed.
The equalizer came via Díaz, who drifted cleverly between the lines and combined with a late-arriving midfielder before guiding the move to completion. At 1-1 the match turned into a tactical arm wrestle. Kompany kept his full backs restrained to guard against counters, while Union accepted longer spells without the ball in exchange for field position and set pieces. Corners and wide free kicks piled up for the hosts, and the home crowd sensed that restarts might be the path back in front.
After the interval the pattern intensified. Bayern pressed higher, trying to trap Union near their own area, yet the clearest chances initially fell to the home side. From one of several dead balls the second phase broke kindly, the ball skidding through legs to find Doekhi again. His first touch on the thigh was confident, his second an emphatic finish from close range for 2-1. Bayern rattled the crossbar moments later and forced a sprawling stop from the keeper, but the fluidity that had carried them through recent weeks flickered rather than burned. Kompany turned to his bench for energy and directness, pushing his wingers into narrower starting positions and asking the full backs to overlap with greater urgency.
Union defended bravely as the minutes ticked away, but the strain showed. Clearances traveled shorter, fouls crept into the defending, and Bayern began to stack entries into the box. Deep into stoppage time, with the clock edging toward the final whistle, Tom Bischof delivered a teasing cross and Harry Kane did what he has made a career of doing, attacking the gap between center back and full back to thump a header beyond the goalkeeper for 2-2. It felt harsh on Union, who had executed their plan with discipline, but it also underlined the relentlessness that has defined Bayern’s season. For Bayern, this was the first time they had failed to win in the league after nine straight victories, a reminder that margins remain thin even for a squad this powerful. For Union, it was validation that their compact structure, set piece craft, and ferocious duels can unsettle the champions.
Key individual notes framed the evening. Díaz looked sharp and decisive, his movement a recurring headache for Union’s midfield screen. Kane needed only one perfect delivery to leave his mark. Doekhi dominated his zones, both aerially and in anticipation, and his brace owed as much to reading the chaos as to finishing. Neuer’s early blunder will draw discussion, yet his distribution remained vital in stretching Union’s shape. Tactically, Kompany may reflect on the balance between control and incision, while Union’s staff can point to the effectiveness of their rest defense and restart routines.
1899 Hoffenheim 3-1 RB Leipzig
Leipzig landed the first punch through Yan Diomande’s composed ninth-minute finish, a goal that showcased the teenager’s ability to isolate his marker and change gears in tight spaces. From there the visitors tried to sit in a mid-block and counter through vertical passes into the channels. Hoffenheim adapted quickly, pushing an extra midfielder into the first line of build-up and asking their wingers to attack the half spaces rather than hug the touchline. The shift paid dividends before the interval. Albian Hajdari equalized from a Wouter Burger cutback that split the Leipzig back line, then Tim Lemperle rose to steer in a header for 2-1 just before halftime.
The second half was about game management. Hoffenheim denied central progression, forced Leipzig toward low-percentage crosses, and picked their moments to break with three or four passes rather than long carries. Grischa Prömel put the result to bed inside the final ten minutes with a ruthless finish after a turnover high up the pitch. Leipzig will lament the lack of control between their lines once Hoffenheim tilted the field, while the hosts can justifiably eye the top five as a realistic target if this intensity holds.
Bayer Leverkusen 6-0 FC Heidenheim
Leverkusen treated Heidenheim without mercy. Patrik Schick scored inside two minutes to set the tone, and Xabi Alonso’s side never took the foot off. Jonas Hofmann added the second after a sweeping move from back to front, Schick bagged another following a comic defensive mix-up between Diant Ramaj and Patrick Mainka, and Ernest Poku plus Ibrahim Maza added polish with clinical finishes before halftime. The intervals told their own tale. Leverkusen’s counterpress suffocated Heidenheim’s first pass after regains, while their rotations in the final third repeatedly created free men at the far post.
After the break the script did not change. Malik Tillman entered and linked neatly, Maza walked through a tired back line for the sixth, and the closing stages became a controlled training exercise in chance creation. If last week’s setback against Bayern raised questions, this response provided emphatic answers. The variety of Leverkusen’s threats, from Schick’s penalty box craft to Hofmann’s timing and the vertical dribbling of Poku and Tillman, makes them a nightmare when they smell blood.
Hamburger SV 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
For more than an hour Dortmund pushed, probed, and dominated territory without reward. Hamburg defended narrow, conceded the wings, and trusted their center backs to win crosses. The dam finally cracked when Carney Chukwuemeka found a pocket near the penalty spot and guided a volley into the far corner, a finish that reflected both technique and poise. With Leipzig losing, Dortmund seemed set to climb, only for late drama to flip the mood. In minute ninety plus seven, a hopeful delivery turned dangerous, Ransford Königsdörffer attacked the near post, and his glancing header flashed inside the upright. The Volksparkstadion erupted, Hamburg claimed a point that felt like a win, and Dortmund were left to rue missed chances and a lapse in concentration at the death.
Taken together, the day’s fixtures offered a reminder of the league’s competitive spine. Bayern can be held if opponents compress space and win the duels that matter. Leverkusen possess a gear that can shred any side that loses its shape. Hoffenheim’s rise rests on structure and smart pressing triggers. Dortmund, for all their quality, still need to turn control into clean sheets when margins are tight. The table will shift again, but the messages feel clear. Consistency will decide the spring, and there are few comfortable afternoons left for the contenders.
