Leipzig's Embarrassing Loss in Munich: Coach Apologizes to Fans

The full extent of Leipzig's inferiority against FC Bayern was evident in one fact: Goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt may have conceded half a dozen goals in the 1-6 (0-3) loss—but he was still by far the best RB player on the field. The RB players had the Belgian—and his many saves against the German record champions’ star attackers—to thank for not suffering an even more crushing defeat in Munich.

The frustration among the Saxons was correspondingly high. “The most important thing is to say ‘I’m sorry’ to our fans who drove or flew here,” said coach Martin Demichelis. He had imagined his return to his former stomping grounds quite differently. “You can lose here at the Allianz Arena—we know that, everyone knows that. But not like this!” he said. Sporting director Marcel Schäfer was also blunt when speaking to Sky, summing it up without mincing words: “It was a complete failure on our part in every area.”

Demichelis’s clear advice ahead of the Real Madrid match

After a bumpy start to the season—but most recently a home victory in the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven (1-0), a severe setback has now followed—and that ahead of the next tough Champions League test on Wednesday against record champions Real Madrid. How does Leipzig plan to hold its own against Spanish stars like Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior?

Demichelis didn’t even try to sugarcoat the defeat in Munich. “There aren’t many positives to take away from today’s game,” said the Argentine, adding a piece of advice: “That’s why we need to forget everything we did here today as quickly as possible.”

Bayern’s Diaz outplays surprise starter Klostermann

The coach, who was hired this summer, also showed no knack for making the right calls when he surprisingly named former national team player Lukas Klostermann to the starting lineup as right back, benching Ridle Baku in the process. Klostermann was then completely outmatched by Bayern striker Luis Diaz. The result: The Colombian became the match-winner with three goals.

Aleksandar Pavlovic, Michael Olise, and Harry Kane also scored. Andrija Maksimovic’s consolation goal in stoppage time did nothing to lift RB’s spirits. “I’m really fed up,” said midfielder Rocco Reitz.

From the opening minutes, Leipzig were pushed onto the defensive by Bayern; at times, RB couldn’t even cross the midfield line for several minutes. They had no answer for either Munich’s intense pressing in midfield or the creativity and momentum of their attacking stars.

25 goals conceded in five matches against Bayern

“We didn’t stand a chance in any area,” Schäfer acknowledged. “We had an exceptionally bad day today, and Bayern had a good one to boot. So, all things considered, we were actually lucky to get away with just six goals.” The performance was so striking that Leipzig’s club spokesperson mistakenly referred to a 0–6 loss at the start of the press conference and omitted to mention the consolation goal scored in stoppage time.

Leipzig had lost 0–6 in Munich last season. “The performance was even worse than last year,” Schäfer noted. “At no point in the game did we put up even the slightest fight.” This is slowly becoming a pattern against the German league leaders: Of the last five league matchups, RB lost four and conceded a total of 25 goals. On top of that, there was a cup defeat. 

Sports Director Schäfer Makes a Statement

Schäfer announced a thorough analysis—also with an eye toward the upcoming tough challenge in Madrid: “Today we witnessed a lesson for us—what it means to truly perform at world-class or top-level standards at times. And we have a great, great, great deal of work ahead of us.”