Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola said his side's shock home defeat to Mainz was confirmation that winning the Bundesliga this season is still going to be a challenge.
The reigning champions appeared to be cruising towards a record fourth straight Bundesliga title, with an eight-point advantage over their closest rivals Borussia Dortmund heading into Wednesday night's fixture at the Allianz Arena.
A first home defeat of the season in all competitions has changed that, however, with Dortmund now just five points behind ahead of the meeting between the top two at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday, and Guardiola has warned there is a long way to go before a third straight Bundesliga title can be his.
"We've got a lot of work still to do," he said at the post-match press conference. "This game was a clear signal that it is not easy to win the Bundesliga."
Guardiola congratulated Mainz on their historic win, but felt his side had "enough chances to win" having "had a go with five strikers" for much of the second half.
"We just didn't control Mainz's counter-attacks well," added the Catalan. "Congratulations to Mainz for their win."
Mainz coach Martin Schmidt said it "feels good" to have become the first team to beat Bayern in their own backyard this season, as their fifth win in their last six games keeps them on course for a place in Europe next season - potentially even the Champions League.
"We knew how we could win here, with ruthless counter-attacks and a good defensive performance," he said. "We had four counters in the first half and two in the second, and we needed to be as efficient as we were.
"That was decisive. The team got it right today, and belief makes everything possible.
"We had spoken a lot about this game and when I spoke to my lads on Monday, all we talked about was winning here.
"We knew we wouldn't have much possession, but we had a plan and we knew it could work if we all stuck to it.
"We were not so bothered about what happened five years ago (when Mainz beat Bayern in Munich) - we wanted to make our own history, and I'm pleased that we've managed to make the battle (for the title) exciting again."
Bayern travel to Dortmund on Saturday for what now promises to be a pivotal moment of the season, with the Westphalians able to reduce the deficit to two points with nine games of the season remaining and make Bayern sweat for their fourth straight title.
Source: PA
