Below-par Bayern fall to new leaders Hertha

Bayern missed a golden opportunity to go top of the Bundesliga for the first time this term after coming unstuck against Hertha Berlin’s obdurate, disciplined defending punctuated by incisive counter-attacks on Saturday. The home side’s 2-1 victory sends them to the top of the standings instead, with Bayern slipping to third a couple of points back.

The 74,228 full house at the Berlin Olympic stadium saw Andrey Voronin, on loan to Hertha from Liverpool, break the deadlock on 38 minutes with the only clear-cut chance of a dour first half.

Bayern found themselves a goal down for the fifth league game in a row, but the Bavarians have become comeback specialists this term and Miroslav Klose duly netted his ninth of the season to level the scores on the hour.

FCB piled on the pressure but all the good work was undone after 77 minutes when Voronin slotted home on the break, condemning the champions to a fourth Bundesliga defeat of the season.

Reds unchanged again

For the first time since 1993, Bayern fielded an unchanged line-up for the fourth stright game, as FCB boss Jürgen Klinsmann put his faith in the team which saw off Borussia Dortmund 3-1 last Sunday.

Eight of the Munich side and two of the subs represented their countries in midweek, but all returned uninjured and lined up alongside stay-at-home trio Michael Rensing, Christian Lell and Ze Roberto.

Hertha boss Lucien Favre, missing ever-present enforcer Cicero to suspension and seven further players to injury, shuffled his deck as best he could, with pacy wing-back Marc Stein detailed to contain the menace posed by Ze, Franck Ribery and Philipp Lahm down the FCB left.

Tight first half

Klinsmann had warned his men beforehand to beware Favre’s defensive tactics, with Ukraine hitman Voronin operating as a lone striker, and the champions duly struggled for fluency through a congested midfield area.

Mark van Bommel drove high and wide early on and Martin Demichelis saw a half-chance blocked, but home keeper Jaroslav Drobny otherwise had little to do at the end of the week in which he earned a first cap for the Czech Republic.

Luca Toni flicked a header wide on 35 minutes, but it was the Italian’s last intervention of the match as he hobbled off with a strain to be replaced by Landon Donovan.

Ze had cleared a snap shot from Hungary veteran Pal Dardai off the line on the half-hour, but Voronin’s opener still came out of the blue, as Lell criminally misjudged Patrick Ebert’s speculative punt into the box, leaving the striker to nod home unchallenged from just six yards.

Miro on target

Rensing plucked Voronin’s angled ball out of the danger zone and Ribery lofted a shot over the bar as the sides probed away after the restart, before Drobny finally had to show his class with a reflex save from Donovan’s firm header.

Tim Borowski replaced Lell on the hour, and Bayern were soon rewarded for sticking to the task at hand when Drobny twice brilliantly saved from Lucio and Bastian Schweinsteiger, but was unable to prevent Klose nodding the second rebound over the line from close range.

Raffael fired over Rensing’s bar as Hertha sought an immediate response, but Schweinsteiger ought to have done better than shoot straight at Drobny after Ribery finally shook off Stein’s attentions.

Rousing finale

Drobny threw out a leg to deny Donovan and Max Nicu flashed a volley across goal as the game entered its final quarter, but Bayern were guilty of ball-watching 13 minutes from time as Voronin skipped clear of Lucio on the break and calmly steered the ball past Rensing to restore his side’s lead.

Ribery shot wide from a good position and Klose just failed to connect inside the box as Munich pounded away at Drobny’s goal, but the stubborn Hertha defence held firm to seal the Bavarians' second league defeat away from home since Christmas.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley