Bayern's collapse continues with 3-2 defeat at Bochum

Bayern Munich's crisis deepened on Sunday as they lost a third game in a row in all competitions and dropped eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga title race.

Bochum, down in 11th in the table, came from behind to seal a 3-2 home win and pile the pressure on Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel after a second away league defeat in a row for the first time since 2015.

Dayot Upamecano was also sent off for conceding a penalty for a second straight game.

Bayern, Bundesliga champions for the last 11 seasons, lost meekly 3-0 at Leverkusen last weekend and then were beaten 1-0 at Lazio in midweek in their Champions League last 16, first leg.

Jamal Musiala superbly gave Bayern the lead on 14 minutes at Bochum before out-of-form Harry Kane, looking a shadow of the player who had wowed the Bundesliga this term, missed a golden chance for 0-2.

Fans then started hurling tennis balls onto the pitch midway through the first half in the latest supporter protest across the league against plans for an external Bundesliga investor.

Play was stopped for 14 minutes and Bayern returned with Upamecano, dropped after giving away a penalty and getting sent off in the Lazio defeat, coming on in place of Noussair Mazraoui in Bayern's latest big injury blow.

The champions appeared to lose focus. Soon after the restart Bochum, who have lost only once at home all season, levelled when Japan's Takuma Asano finished off a quick break in fine style for his first goal since returning from the Asian Cup.

Matthijs de Ligt, who media reports have said was annoyed not to start Bayern's last two defeats, had returned to the starting line-up but could have closed down Asano better.

It got worse for Bayern in the pouring western German rain just six minutes later when Keven Schlotterbeck easily headed in a corner - with England's Kane and Netherlands' De Ligt again at fault.

More tennis balls hit the field in the second half prompting another delay before Upamecano received a second yellow for an elbow in the box, allowing Kevin Stöger to score from the spot.

Kane then tapped in for a 25th league goal this term but Bayern were denied an equalizer late on by good saves from Manuel Riemann.

Bayern bosses had indicated Tuchel is safe at present but the previous hierarchy dismissed Julian Nagelsmann at a similar stage last season with Bayern in a better position in the league.

Bayern had beaten Bochum 7-0 three times in the last three years but also lost 4-2 at the Ruhrstadion in 2022.

Sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt were earlier pegged back three times to be held 3-3 at European rivals Freiburg, hitting their hopes of a late bid for the Bundesliga top four.

This match too was delayed in the second half due to fan protests.

This time a remote-controlled toy plane was flown over the pitch, causing a stoppage. A barrage of sweets then came down from the stands and the players returned to the dressing room. They eventually returned after several minutes.

Frankfurt played much of the first half of the season without a traditional number nine after selling Randal Kolo Muani to Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Egypt's Omar Marmoush to fill in.

Austria striker Saša Kalajdžić was recruited in January to ease the burden but he went off injured after 11 minutes and Marmoush again moved further forward to aplomb.

Marmoush's 27th-minute opener and ninth this term was in part due to Freiburg defender Yannik Keitel's slip but he finished well, while his pass to substitute Ansgar Knauff for 0-2 on 35 was sublime.

In between, eighth-placed Freiburg had scored thanks to Ritsu Doan after Kevin Trapp parried Roland Sallai's effort.

A foul by 40-year-old Makoto Hasebe on Lucas Höler in first-half stoppage time then allowed Freiburg's Vincenzo Grifo to blast home a leveller from the spot but Knauff's superb shot from the edge of the box on 72 looked to have won it for Frankfurt.

Freiburg substitute Michael Gregoritsch had the last laugh, however, when his deflected header went in on 90 minutes.

"The end was a bit too wild," Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller said.