Bayern end Gladbach hoodoo

A goal from French teenager Mathys Tel with three minutes remaining took Bayern Munich to a 2-1 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.

The victory took Bayern level on nine points with leaders Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga.

A first-half strike from Kou Itakura had Gladbach looking like keeping their recent hoodoo over Bayern alive, before Leroy Sane pulled one back midway through the second half.

With the clock winding down, Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich curled in a corner and Tel found himself unmarked, with Gladbach’s defence focusing their energies on Harry Kane.

Tel headed in, sending the visiting fans into raptures and grabbing the three points for the visitors.

Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel said his side’s “second half was maybe the best we’ve played this year” telling Sky “we fully deserved to win. We didn’t lose our nerve and we showed our energy.”

Gladbach have become Bayern’s bogey side over the past decade, despite the Bavarians winning the last 11 Bundesliga titles.

Bayern had won only one of their past seven against Gladbach, a run which included a 5-0 German Cup thumping in 2021, their biggest loss since the 1970s.

Despite scoring seven goals in their first two league games, Bayern had few chances early, Gladbach marking striker Kane out of the game.

The home side broke the deadlock after 30 minutes, Itakura heading in a rebound from a corner to give his side the lead.

After the match, Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller told Sky “when that goal went in, I thought ‘oh no, not again, I’m in the wrong movie.”

With Kane receiving Gladbach’s attention, Sane found space and looked the most likely, rattling the crossbar five minutes from half-time.

The former Man City winger eventually got his side on the board in the second half, pivoting after collecting a Kimmich chip and sliding the ball into goal with the studs of his boot.