Bayern lose van Bommel for month

Bayern Munich, who could only manage a draw at Hoffenheim in their opening Bundesliga match, received a blow Sunday with the news Dutch midfielder and skipper Mark van Bommel will miss up to a month with a broken toe.

Van Bommel will undergo surgery Monday, the club said on their official website.

The 32-year-old left the action ten minutes before the end of Saturday’s game which saw the Bavarians fortunate to escape with a point and he was left to rue his ill fortune.

“It’s infuriating to get injured like this when I’d started the season so well,” the veteran said.

Van Bommel now joins Argentine defender Martin Demichelis (ankle) and Italian striker Luca Toni (Achilles tendon) on the sidelines while Frenchman Franck Ribery is at least back in training following his problems with first blisters, then tendonitis.

Former Bayern coach Felix Magath, who last season led unfashionable Wolfsburg to the title, was able to celebrate a win with new club Schalke after German international Kevin Kuranyi struck twice to earn a 2-1 opening win at Nuremburg.

Despite the win, Magath was not happy with his side’s showing.

“What we showed late on after the Nuremberg goal was not worthy of the Bundesliga,” he raged after the hosts threatened to overhaul the deficit in the closing stages.

“I don’t know if you were watching the game or playing cards during it,” Magath sniped at a reporter afterwards who unwisely questioned his bad mood.

Magath’s departure has not affected Wolfsburg, as the club from the home of Volkswagen began their title defence with an impressive 2-0 home win over Stuttgart on Friday, striking an early blow against a team tipped as potential successors to the crown.

Late goals from Bosnian playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic – who extended his contract earlier this week – and Brazilian striker Grafite secured the points.

Elsewhere, Werder Bremen, who have lost last season’s star man Diego to Juventus, slid to a demoralising 3-2 home loss to Eintracht Frankfurt while Bayer Leverkusen had to settle for a 2-2 draw at promoted Mainz.

Former European champions Borussia Dortmund needed an own goal to defeat Cologne 1-0.

On Sunday, Hamburg, who missed out on the Champions League placings last term, were in action later at Freiburg while Bochum and Borussia Moenchengladbach shared a 3-3 draw, the latter squandering a three-goal lead.