Bayern roar back from 3-0 down to beat Mainz 4-3

Bayern Munich roared back from 3-0 down at halftime to beat Mainz 4-3 away in the Bundesliga on Saturday, with Vincent Kompany’s substitutions transforming the match as Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane drove the second-half turnaround.

The Matchday 31 win at MEWA ARENA came with Bayern already confirmed as Bundesliga champions and after heavy rotation before Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

Mainz took control early and punished Bayern’s reshuffled lineup. Dominik Kohr opened the scoring in the 15th minute, finishing from Kaishu Sano’s assist, and Paul Nebel doubled the lead in the 29th after converting the rebound when Nadiem Amiri’s shot was saved.

The home side struck again in first-half stoppage time. Sheraldo Becker made it 3-0 in the second added minute after Amiri hit the crossbar, leaving Bayern in danger of a flat afternoon despite having already wrapped up the title earlier this month.

Kompany had made eight changes from Bayern’s DFB-Pokal semifinal lineup, with only Konrad Laimer, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Luis Díaz keeping their places. At the break, he turned to his bench, sending on Kane and Olise, and the shift changed the game.

Bayern pulled one back in the 53rd minute when Nicolas Jackson finished from Laimer’s pass. Musiala then entered in the 57th minute and, as the official Bundesliga match report noted, completely transformed the match.

Mainz goalkeeper Daniel Batz still had a major say, producing several saves to keep Bayern at bay as the pressure built. But Bayern’s momentum finally told in the closing stages.

Olise scored Bayern’s second in the 73rd minute, again from a Laimer assist, before Musiala leveled in the 80th. Three minutes later, Kane completed the comeback after Batz parried Musiala’s cross into his path for a simple finish.

The result did not change Bayern’s position at the top, but it underlined the squad depth Kompany may need in Europe. His bench supplied the spark after a dismal first half, with Musiala named Player of the Match, and Bayern head into Tuesday’s trip against PSG carrying a comeback win that looked highly unlikely at the interval.