NAfter such a football show, none of those involved wanted to be seen as a petty grouch. And yet the two coaches Sebastian Hoeneß and Julian Nagelsmann were looking for the fly in the ointment that had annoyed them on this sunny afternoon in the Sinsheim Arena. Hoeneß, much happier with his team’s results, criticized the added minute added to two minutes and 13 seconds in the first half, in which Robert Lewandowski, FC Bayern Munich’s star striker, headed the equalizer to 1 :1 at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
“I know it’s unpopular not to give a corner kick anymore,” said the son of former Bayern center forward Dieter Hoeneß, “but he just wasn’t up to the task. That’s bitter.” On the other hand, his colleague Julian Nagelsmann, who was socialized in Hoffenheim and has risen to become a young coach, complained that the stadium’s pitch was bone-dry, in his opinion. “You saw it with Gnabry and Coman that the ball jumped away so strangely. That’s not meant to be a criticism of the Hoffenheim greenkeeper, but the balls are definitely more dangerous with a wetter pitch.”
Christoph Baumgartner, the Hoffenheim goal scorer, could be happy that he had volleyed the ball to make it 1-0 (32nd) and had not been duped by the pitch. The small-scale arguments of both coaches, which flared up at least once, seemed a bit out of context on an afternoon of the very best football entertainment, given the big spectacle that connected the fifth and first in the Bundesliga on Saturday at the highest quality level.
What really annoyed Bayern was the usury of chances, coupled with a dash of inattentiveness that prevented them from ultimately winning the duel with the Kraichgauers, who were fighting for a place in the Champions League. Three offside goals in one game, in this case by Müller (27’/42′) and Lewandowski (46′): Not everyone can do that either. In addition, Gnabry hit the post from a free shot (68′), Posch’s save on the goal line after Müller’s shot (72′) and a series of fabulous saves by Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.
So there was really something going on in the arena, which was almost full for the first time in a long time with 25,600 spectators according to the Corona regulations. And the people of North Baden also worked to the best of their ability, who never let themselves be overwhelmed by the Bavarian claim to power and always had the best opportunities. Andrej Kramaric in particular, the 30-year-old Croatian and the club’s all-time record scorer with 101 goals in 210 competitive games, seemed more inhibited than relieved when he was alone in front of goalkeepers on the day his expiring contract was announced for another three years Manuel Neuer showed up. He didn’t even have to stretch very much to block his opponent’s imprecise and blurred attempts at goal.
Kramaric, who will have served TSG faithfully for nine years in 2025, made a heartfelt commitment to his German hometown club: “I love this club, Hoffenheim means everything to me.” Looking back at the “very intense” game and his own missed opportunities, he said: “It could have ended 5: 5.” Even Nagelsmann, who in his nine years at Hoffenheim (2010 to 2019) learned and internalized the coaching job from scratch, reckoned with the small yield of this game, the many missed opportunities in favor of his team. “We could still score four or five more goals, but we could also get three or four more.”
Four days after the goal festival in the 7-1 triumph over RB Salzburg in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League, the coach, who loves the offensive spectacle and therefore had six offensively oriented players in his first eleven, was annoyed by the lack of daily efficiency. With Lewandowski, Müller, Gnabry, Coman, Sané and Musiala only scoring one goal was far too little given the numerous opportunities. Even a look at Munich’s balance sheet from the second half of the season with five wins, two draws and two defeats does not currently provide any evidence of a new Bayern glory. Under these circumstances, even Dortmund Borussia, who meanwhile seems to be behind in second place, can still hope for an exciting final for the championship.
Nagelsmann, whose Bavarians had contributed a lot to the high value of this Sinsheim soccer afternoon, found his “risk management” with the preference for offensive players in order. “If I compare it to the games two or three weeks ago, then it was a good step for us, even if it’s bizarrely just one point.” That wasn’t just down to the champions, but also down to their never-tiring opponents. Closing words from Sebastian Hoeneß: “We took heart in hand today and offered the spectators a spectacle.” But so did Bayern.
And so Nagelsmann summarized the football festival without the crowning glory here and there: “I’m a fan of watching attractive football games so that people don’t complain about the Bundesliga and can enjoy it too. That’s why I think it was a very good game for the fans.” For himself, without a coach, not quite.
