The Daily Bee (January 14, 2021): Bayern Crash Out of DFB-Pokal

Good morning, Fear The Wall.

We are still in the midst of DFB-Pokal action, as the 2020/21 season continues to deliver fixtures at weird dates. Leverkusen advanced over Frankfurt in yesterday’s cup match, but there was one more fixture for the second round.

And it involved Bayern. And the results... did not go their way.

That’s right, little Hostein Kiel, who sit one point behind Hamburg for the top spot in the 2. Bundesliga, took down giants Bayern Munich (who were wearing pretty amazing kits, imo) 6-5 in penalties after the thrilling match ended 2-2. Serge Gnabry scored the first goal of the game for Bayern in the 14th minute, signaling that perhaps this was going to be a big win for the club, but Kiel responded in the 37th minute after Werder Bremen great Fin Bartles fired one low and past Manuel Neuer.

Leroy Sane put Bayern back in front with an expertly-taken free kick in the 48th minute, and from that point it looked like Bayern were going to advance, but in the fifth and final minute of extra time, Hauke Wahl got on the end of one final cross and shouldered the ball into the net for the equalizer amidst a snow flurry. The match would go to penalties, where the teams were neck-and-neck in goals scored, until Ioannis Gelios made a stop on Marco Roca’s attempt, and Bartles smashed home the winner.

This is what cup competitions are all about, David taking down Goliath on David’s home turf.

Luka Jovic Returns to Frankfurt

After two seasons of disappointing play for Real Madrid, Luka Jovic is returning to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the remainder of the season. The loan does not include an option for purchase.

Jovic originally came to Frankfurt on loan from Benfica, but Frankfurt made his move a permanent one during his spectacular 2018/19 season where he scored 17 goals in the Bundesliga and 10 goals during the club’s Europa League run. His play caught the eye of Real Madrid, who eventually paid Frankfurt 60 million for the Serbian, but Jovic has barely made a positive impact for the Spanish club, and even saw a heavy load of criticism for breaking COVID-19 isolation protocols to travel back to Serbia for a party.

Good luck, Luka, except against Dortmund.

Pele Gets a Netflix Documentary

Brazilian legend Pele will be getting his very own Netflix documentary, simply titled Pelé.

The doc, set to release on February 23, will chart his rise from an unknown Brazilian to one of the greatest players in the world. It should be a great documentary, and I can’t wait to watch it.

The Daily Buzz

What are your reactions to Bayern losing in the Pokal?