MUNICH (AP) - Bayern Munich’s troubled Bundesliga season went from bad to worse on Saturday after a late collapse saw it draw 3-3 with Fortuna Duesseldorf, whose forward Dodi Lukebakio scored a hat trick.
The reigning German champion dropped nine points behind league leader Borussia Dortmund, which beat Mainz 2-1, while Leipzig’s 10-game unbeaten run ended in defeat at Wolfsburg.
Bayern coach Niko Kovac said he was “anything but happy” to see two late goals from second-from-bottom Duesseldorf, which last played Bayern in the Bundesliga back in 2013.
“I simply can’t grasp how we failed to take the chances which we had, but what’s much worse is the way we defended all three of the goals we conceded,” he said. “It doesn’t matter then whether you’re facing a newly promoted team or a Champions League team. These mistakes get punished.”
Bayern seemed to be cruising after scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes, but Duesseldorf came back from 2-0 and 3-1 down thanks to Lukebakio’s brilliance and Bayern’s defensive frailties.
On loan from Watford, Lukebakio started the comeback when he scored in the 44th minute after Jean Zimmer’s botched overhead kick bounced off Jerome Boateng. Thomas Mueller made it 3-1 with his second goal of the game in the 58th, but Lukebakio wasn’t finished.
The Belgian scored again in the 77th and leveled in stoppage time, latching onto Rouwen Hennings’ pass and holding off Niklas Suele before applying a calm finish.
The international break has done little to fix Bayern’s defensive vulnerabilities. Kovac’s team has conceded in eight consecutive Bundesliga games going back to September.
DORTMUND ROLLS ON
A day after making his loan deal from Barcelona permanent, Paco Alcacer scored his ninth Bundesliga goal in seven games for leader Dortmund.
The Spain striker came off the bench just two minutes before scoring the opening goal against Mainz. Robin Quaison made it 1-1 shortly after but Lukas Piszczek’s curling shot secured all three points for Dortmund.
Chasing its first title in seven years, Dortmund leads by seven points from Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Moenchengladbach, though the latter has one more game to play.
LEIPZIG LOSES
Undefeated since the opening weekend, Leipzig was undone by Jerome Roussillon at Wolfsburg. The French player scored his first goal of the season, and the only goal of the game, in the 50th minute.
Leipzig stayed fourth, one point off second place and one ahead of Bayern.
Second-placed Frankfurt’s surprise title challenge continued in a 3-1 win at Augsburg as Jonathan de Guzman got Frankfurt rolling with a goal after just 53 seconds.
Hoffenheim could have overtaken Bayern with a win but let a 3-1 lead slip in similar fashion to the reigning champion, as goals from Mathew Leckie and Valentino Lazaro helped Hertha Berlin rescue a 3-3 draw.
Losing its opening five games of the season put Schalke in the relegation zone even as it plays Champions League football, but it continued a recent recovery with a 4-2 win over Nuremberg. Two goals from Steven Skrzybski helped seal the win for Schalke, while Nuremburg finished without right back Robert Bauer, who was sent off after collecting two yellow cards.
___
More AP Bundesliga coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/Bundesliga and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Please read our comment policy before commenting.