For the third season in a row, Bayern, winners of the event 20 times, did not reach the semi-finals of the German Cup, after two eliminations in the 2nd round in autumn 2020 and autumn 2021.

"It's hard to analyze. If you look at the result, there is anger. We didn't have such a bad game. But we lacked precision in the last action," Thomas Müller told public broadcaster ARD at the end of the match.

For Bayern, it is the fourth defeat of the season, including three in the league, and especially the third in 2023.

On Tuesday night, in an Allianz Arena once again immersed in winter temperatures and a thermometer well below zero degrees, the Munich team thought they had done the hardest thanks to Dayot Upamecano, higher than Maximilian Eggestein in the 20th minute of play on a corner by Joshua Kimmich.

But on a poorly negotiated restart by the Munich defensive block, Nicolas Höfler managed the perfect sequence, control and then strike from the unstoppable left for Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer to equalize (27th).

After dominating from the hour mark, including a header from Benjamin Pavard on the crossbar in the 62nd minute, Bayern conceded a penalty in added time.

On a strike from Nicolas Höfler, Jamal Musiala pushed away with his hand and the referee logically designated the penalty point. Lukas Höler took responsibility to qualify his team for the semi-finals.

© Christof STACHE / AFP

"It's a bitter night for us, especially in a knockout competition. But it's also part of the game to lose," said Thomas Tuchel in a press conference after the game.

End of hat-trick dreams

Arrived on the Munich bench only ten days ago, Thomas Tuchel had a victorious debut against Borussia Dortmund (4-2) in the Bundesliga to regain the chair of leader, but sees his hopes of treble fly away prematurely against a Freiburg team well grouped in front of the goal of its goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

The former coach of Dortmund (2015/17), Paris SG (2018/20) and Chelsea (2021/22) had, however, shown a measured enthusiasm, highlighting the limits in the game of his team, fault of too many losses of ball for his taste.

On Tuesday night, he was still able to see all the work that needs to be done with this team, which has distinguished itself this season under Julian Nagelsmann by its consistency in inconsistency (three defeats and seven draws in the Bundesliga).

Munich and Freiburg will meet again on Saturday afternoon, this time in Freiburg for the 27th Bundesliga matchday, while Bayern is only two points ahead of Borussia Dortmund eight days from the end of the season.

Before facing Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on April 11 and 19 (return to the Allianz Arena), Bayern will have to win in the Brisgau if they want to avoid a crisis, which their leaders have themselves initiated by parting ways with coach Julian Nagelsmann.

© CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP

In the early evening, Eintracht Frankfurt got the better of Union Berlin, 3rd in the Bundesliga, 2-0, thanks to an express double from Randal Kolo Muani.

In the space of 103 seconds, the France international scored his fourth and fifth goals in the Cup, each time served by Mario Götze, for the 18th and 19th goals in all competitions, to which must be added twelve assists, all in 37 matches played.

The quarter-finals end on Wednesday with second-division Nuremberg facing Bundesliga side Stuttgart, while Dortmund will try to immediately put the march forward against RB Leipzig (20:45).

© 2023 AFP