Bayern win after two penalties and a red card

Find the odd one out: Real Sociedad, Milan, Olympique Lyon, Hoffenheim. As of tonight, it is the German club, which is no longer on the list of teams from Europe’s top five leagues that remain unbeaten in 2026 in any competition. It was expected that their furious run of five consecutive Bundesliga victories would come to an end today. They were visiting the leaders and reigning champions, Bayern were in a mini-crisis — if one point from two consecutive rounds can even be called that — Borussia Dortmund had closed the gap to three points, and Bayern had to respond.

Still, did a derby of the German championship deserve to be defined by a referee’s decision as early as the 17th minute? To be clear, referee Tobias Stieler will be able to justify the red card shown to Kevin Akpoguma for conceding a penalty on Luis Díaz, but it seems that a public warning in the form of a yellow card, along with a point to the penalty spot, would have been a sufficient sanction for the visitors — and that is what will be debated in the coming days. As bravely as Christian Ilzer’s team stood their ground with a man down, and as much as it seemed that the decision only gave them extra motivation, the advantage for the Bavarians was enormous. They did not even wait for the second half to capitalize on it — just before the break they launched a blitz, scoring twice within two minutes to pull away to an unreachable distance, before ultimately firing a five-goal salvo — 5–1.

It was the show of Harry Kane and Luis Díaz. The Colombian won both penalties — interestingly, he was so elusive for opposing defenders that they grabbed his legs both times to foul him — and the league’s top scorer converted them flawlessly to reach his 24th league goal of the season (and his eighth in five matches against Hoffenheim, having scored in every one). Then, in first-half stoppage time, the England captain assisted the former Liverpool player on a counterattack for Bayern’s third goal.

Between the two penalties, there was only one team on the pitch — but it wasn’t Vincent Kompany’s lineup. Huge chances piled up in front of Neuer’s goal; Upamecano and Tah looked like two disoriented figures. Crosses were flying in from both flanks, Kabak shot wide, Asllani hit the crossbar, Kramarić’s effort was saved by Neuer — yet the veteran Bayern goalkeeper made a cardinal mistake in the 35th minute, allowing Asllani to set up Kramarić for 1–1. No active Bundesliga player has scored against Bayern more often, and the Croatian international did it for the ninth time this evening.

Hoffenheim played well and earned sympathy, but Bayern converted their penalties and collected the points. Time, of course, was not on the visitors’ side. They spent enormous energy; Asllani troubled Neuer again in the 57th minute, but most of the action resembled attack-versus-defence in front of Baumann’s goal (a curiosity: the two goalkeepers faced each other for the 27th time in the Bundesliga tonight, equaling the record previously held by Eike Immel and Uli Stein). Luis Díaz crowned his perfect performance — three goals and two won penalties — by scoring from an Olise assist, and then again in the closing minutes, when the exhausted visitors could barely clear the ball from their own penalty area, finishing off a Musiala pass. All things considered, Bayern continued their ruthless run against Hoffenheim — 5–0, 4–0, 4–1, 5–1. But that red card still leaves the lingering question: what might have been…

BUNDESLIGA - MATCHDAY 21

Friday

Union Berlin - Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 (0-0)

/Querfeld 87 pen - Brown 84

Saturday

Freiburg - Werder 1-0 (1-0)

/Beste 13/

Heidenheim - Hamburger 0-2 (0-1)

/Konigsdorffer 45+3, Philippe 78/

Mainz - Augsburg 2-0 (1-0)

/Amiri 8 pen, 80 pen/

St. Pauli - Stuttgart 2-1 (1-0)

/Saliakas 35, Sinani 55 pen - Leweling 90/

Wolfsburg - Dortmund 1-2 (0-1)

/Koulierakis 52 - Brandt 38, Guirassy 87/

Monchengladbach - Leverkusen 1-1 (1-1)

/Engelhardt 10 - Sander 44 pen/

Sunday

Koln - RB Leipzig 1-2 (0-1)

/Thielmann 51- Baumgartner 29, 56/

Bayern - Hoffenheim 5-1 (3-1)

/Diaz 45+2, 62, 89, Kane 20(p), 45(p) - Kramaric 35/