Bayern Munich were 8.37 seconds into their trip to Augsburg when Manuel Neuer's pass went straight to an opponent, and that was how a game they expected to win ended 2-2 on Saturday. The goal was the fastest in Bundesliga history, and it cost Bayern the chance to go top of the table.
The Fastest Goal the Bundesliga Has Seen
It began with a kick-off that went wrong. Luis Diaz played the ball back to Neuer straight from the whistle, the goalkeeper took a heavy touch, then tried to chip it to a team-mate and was charged down by Robin Fellhauer. The Augsburg midfielder ran on, got into the box and slid the ball into the empty net. The previous record, nine seconds, had been shared by Karim Bellarabi for Bayer Leverkusen in 2014-15 and Kevin Volland for Hoffenheim a year later. Fellhauer beat both of them by a little under two thirds of a second.
Bayern, to their credit, did not collapse. They thought they had equalised after the break when Diaz hit a scissor-kick into the net, only for VAR to rule Josip Stanisic offside from the free-kick that started the move.
Kane Does the Work
The equaliser came on 55 minutes and had Harry Kane written all over it. The England captain slid a ball into the box, Ismael Saibari adjusted his feet and fired a low shot into the corner. Augsburg went ahead again nine minutes later, though, after Neuer parried a shot from Calvin Brackelmann and Rodrigo Ribeiro was waiting at the back post to guide the ball home.
Bayern then put the ball in the net twice more and had both goals ruled out for offside. Serge Gnabry tapped one in and Brackelmann turned another into his own net, but the flag was up each time. The goal that stood arrived on 80 minutes. Kane played a neat one-two and crossed, and Nathaniel Brown tapped in from inside the six-yard box. There was still time for Gnabry to hit the woodwork twice and for a Kane shot to be cleared off the line, but Augsburg held on.
Eberl Stands by Neuer
The result left Bayern on 11 points after five games, two behind leaders Borussia Dortmund, who were themselves held 2-2 by Werder Bremen on Friday. Bayern's sporting director Max Eberl was quick to back his goalkeeper. He told reporters Neuer had made a mistake, something that has happened once or twice in two decades as a professional, and that there were no doubts about him inside the club. Neuer, now 40, remains the number one, though Eberl also confirmed a plan is in place for Jonas Urbig, 23, to succeed him.
The next test is a Champions League trip to Viking in Norway on Tuesday, on an artificial pitch, and there has been talk that Vincent Kompany might rest his captain. Eberl said he had not heard of the manager planning to drop players simply because of the surface. Bayern will want a calmer start than they had in Augsburg. Whoever is in goal, the first eight seconds are likely to be checked twice.
Match facts: Augsburg 2-2 Bayern Munich (half-time 1-0), Bundesliga, WWK Arena, Saturday 10 October 2026. Attendance 30,660. Goals: Fellhauer 1' (8.37 seconds) and Ribeiro 64' (Augsburg); Saibari 55' and Brown 80' (Bayern, both assisted by Kane). Bayern coach: Vincent Kompany. Source reporting: BBC Sport, GOAL.
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