Bayern bruised by Bremen's shock and awe

It was the result no one expected: a weakened Werder Bremen side, having just played out a disenchanting goalless UEFA Champions League draw against Anorthosis Famagusta FC, travelled to FC Bayern München, a side bursting with confidence having won three matches in a row, and pulled off a stunning 5-2 victory.

'Desolate performance'
Incredibly, the Hanseatic side were 5-0 up midway through the second half, before Tim Borowski pulled two back to add an small air of respectability to the scoreline. "I can hardly understand how we conceded five goals," said Borowski, who had moved to Bayern from Bremen this summer. "This was a desolate performance from us. It doesn't matter that I scored today. We failed as a team. We will have to live with plenty of criticism after such a display. The next days will not be easy."

'Chance to learn'
His coach was equally stunned. "It was a lesson for us. It hurts. There is no way of talking around this," said Jürgen Klinsmann, for whom it was a first Bundesliga defeat as a coach, as it was for Bayern goalkeeper Michael Rensing in his 28th game in the German top flight. "We were a long way short of being a winning side today," Klinsmann continued. "As a coach, I believe that games like these give you a chance to learn a lot. We have to live with that result now and put it behind us. When you are on the ground, you have to get up again and we will get up."

Record losses
It was also Bayern's biggest Bundesliga defeat in almost 30 years, the Munich side's previous worst result being a 4-0 loss to DSC Arminia Bielefeld in March 1979. The last time they conceded five goals at home was three years before when FC Schalke 04 famously won 7-0 at Bayern. "You get games like this," remembered Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer, who played in that game against Schalke. "It was the same when we lost 7-0 back then. Bayern did everything wrong while Bremen had six shots and scored five goals."

Stoic viewpoint
Meanwhile, in Bremen, the consensus was that it was only one match and the victory would almost be in vain if they failed to follow it up. "It is very nice to put in such a performance and score those goals," said Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf. "First of all we earned three points, but it is of course good as well to beat a good team like Bayern München. This will help us in the games to come." Captain Frank Baumann, though, was quick to sound a note of caution: "A 5-2 win doesn't count for anything if it's just a flash in the pan. We had resolved to put on a committed performance, and that's what we did. This display is now the bar we have set, and we have to match it again." Claudio Pizarro, scorer of the fourth goal and a former Bayern striker, was more straightforward in his assessment, announcing: "We can win the championship".