Red-hot Gnabry, Mueller save Bayerns blushes in late cup win

Holders Bayern Munich recovered from an own goal to avoid a humiliating German Cup second round exit to second division VfL Bochum after two late strikes secured a 2-1 win on Tuesday.

Serge Gnabry and Thomas Mueller struck in the 83rd and 89th minutes respectively for record 19-time Cup winners Bayern to save coach Niko Kovac’s blushes.

Bochum had taken the lead in the 36th minute when Bayern’s Alphonso Davies directed Danny Blum’s cross into his own net at the Ruhrstadion.

Kovac, who had heavily rotated his players, sent Mueller, Robert Lewandowski and Philippe Coutinho on from the bench to try and turn the game around.

Gnabry equalised with a neat finish from Joshua Kimmich’s cross before Bochum were reduced to 10 men, with defender Armel Bella-Kotchap dismissed for handball in the 88th.

A minute later Mueller took advantage to finish from Kingsley Coman’s cross and earn Bayern a last-gasp victory.

Fourth-tier Saarbrucken shocked Bundesliga side Cologne 3-2 thanks to Tobias Janicke’s 90th minute goal.

Christopher Schorch and Gillian Jurcher’s strikes early in the second half put the minnows ahead but Jonas Hector and Simon Terodde hit back before Janicke’s dramatic late winner.

Stuttgart beat Hamburg 2-1 away after extra time in an all-second-tier tie, Bundesliga strugglers Union Berlin won 3-1 at high-flying Freiburg and top flight Hoffenheim defeated third-tier MSV Duisburg 2-0 on the road.