Defeat is not a crisis for Bayern´s van Bommel

Bayern Munich captain Mark van Bommel insisted Saturday’s shock defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt ‘is not the end of the world’ as the German giants lost for the first time in 20 league games.

Bayern’s last league defeat was back in September 2009, but after Miroslav Klose’s opening goal, Frankfurt teenager Juvhel Tsoumou scored a late equaliser before Eintracht’s Martin Fenin hit the winner on 89 minutes to shock Munich.

But while van Bommel anticipates some negative headlines in the German media here, he insisted the Champions League’s quarter-finalists are not in crisis, although Schalke 04 can go top if they win at Hamburg on Sunday.

“We have lost the first game in the Bundesliga for a long time and I can see the headlines already: ‘Bayern in crisis!’,” said van Bommel, whose side face Manchester United in the Champions League last eight.

“But losing a single game is not the end of the world.”

Bayern had been cruising to their 17th league win of the season after Germany striker Klose gave them the lead with only seven minutes gone.

Munich lost Belgian defender Daniel van Buyten to injury on 80 minutes which caused them problems at the back and Frankfurt took full advantage.

“I think we?re to blame for throwing it away,” said Munich coach Louis van Gaal.

“Maybe we had to make one substitution too many, we?ve lost another centre-half in Van Buyten, so it?s getting more and more difficult.”

Bayern midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said his side gave too much ball away in midfield which cost them dearly.

“We lost too many balls in midfield and up front,” said the Germany star.

“This we have come over and over again on the defensive pressure.

“The turning point was the loss of van Buyten.

“The change then was a change too much.”

For Frankfurt’s Tsoumou, who came off the bench in the 83rd minute and then scored in the 87th, it was time to celebrate before reporting to play for Frankfurt’s reserves on Sunday.

“That was a brilliant moment for me, and it probably won?t happen again in the next ten Bundesliga matches,” said Tsoumou.

“I?ll definitely have a bit of a celebration this evening, but only a bit, because I?m playing for the reserves again tomorrow.”

This was Frankfurt’s tenth win of the season and coach Michael Skibbe was delighted.

“We were courageous right from the off, and we attempted to put Bayern under pressure in every phase of the game,” he said.

“It often worked too.

“The substitutions gave us a little more impetus and freshness.

“The victory was fully deserved, and it?s a wonderful evening for us.”