Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane pushed in face by rival boss sparking huge brawl
Union Berlin manager Nenad Bjelica sparked a massive brawl during his team's defeat to Bayern Munich after shoving Bayern winger Leroy Sane in the face.
The incident occurred during the second half of the rearranged tie at the Allianz Arena. The game had originally been due to take place in early December, only for heavy snowfall to see it postponed.
When the teams finally had their chance to face off against one another, Bayern got their noses in front through a Raphael Guerreiro goal early in the second half. It was still 1-0 with a little over 15 minutes left on the clock, when Bjelica clashed with Sane.
The Croatian coach had appeared to initially attempt to keep the ball from the former Manchester City star, and then responded by shoving Sane in the face when the player attempted to retrieve it. Sane then gave Bjelica a shove back, and players and staff from both teams began to surround the pair.
"The ball came to me and I went to give it to Sane," Bjelica said after the game, as reported by Reuters. "He pushed me and then I reacted in a way I should not have -- with my hand in his face. I felt provoked and I just reacted the way I should not have done."
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
Bjelica has only been Union's manager for two months. He took over at the end of November with the club in relegation trouble, only to lift them out of the danger zone with seven poiints from four games before the trip to Bavaria.
Bayern themselves went into the game having lost at home to Werder Bremen over the weekend. They avoided a second straight defeat, though, with Guerreiro's goal enough to give them all three points and take them within four of league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Did Nenad Bjelica deserve his red card? Have your say in the comments section
Players from both teams stepped in to intervene (Getty Images)"We played very seriously and were very alert," Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel said after the victory. "We had good chances to score, but we lacked precision.
"We failed to score that second goal. We didn't allow any breaks at all. A reaction was needed (after Bremen) and we got the result we wanted."
The match also offered an opportunity for Eric Dier to make his Bayern debut after arriving from Tottenham in January. The England international played 45 minutes after starting centre-back Dayot Upamecano suffered a muscle injury, and was asked about his display after the victory.
"Mentally, I was ready to play," DIer said. "We wanted to create more chances, but after the last game it was important just to win. We played well and gave very little away.
"It's going really well for me so far," the 30-year-old added. "I've received a really warm welcome from the club. My teammates and the coach are fantastic, and I'm proud to have made my debut today. I'm very happy."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
