Bayern Munich dropped two points on Saturday at Hoffenheim (1-1), their second consecutive draw in the Bundesliga, but provisionally maintains its 10-point lead with Dortmund, who play on Sunday.
Source: AFP
Borussia can reduce the gap to seven points on Sunday against Arminia Bielefeld, and would still have another game to play, with which to reduce the gap with the leader even more.
“We were unlucky,” German striker Thomas Muller said after the game.
Four days after the 7-1 Champions League thrashing against Salzburg, Bayern were unable to string together victories.
The Polish Robert Lewandowski did chain goals, who after his hat-trick on Tuesday, was the author of the equalizing goal (1-1, 45+3) that annulled the initial advantage of the Austrian Christoph Baumgartner (1-0, min. 32 ).
The Pole remains the leader of the scorers table in Europe, with 29 goals in 26 games.
Hoffenheim, who started the matchday 4th, drop to 5th position, on equal points with Freiburg. Leipzig (6th) are also in that fight for Champions League qualifying positions, and they would regain 4th position if they beat bottom team Fürth on Sunday.
– Three goals disallowed –
Despite having numerous chances to take the lead, Bayern cannot complain after the point achieved in Hoffenheim, as the victory could have fallen to either team.
Both goalkeepers, Manuel Neuer for the leader and Oliver Baumann for Hoffenheim, made great saves.
Up to three goals scored by Bayern (two by Muller, one by Lewandowski) were disallowed for offside. Serge Gnabry hit the post and the Polish striker was overtaken by a defender on the goal line as he was about to send the ball into the net.
But Croatian Andre Kramaric also had three clear chances for Hoffenheim, all three saved by Neuer.
“We had more chances,” said the Bayern goalkeeper. “It’s disappointing not to go home with the three points. We were a bit unlucky and the decisions for offside were at the limit, but for the neutral spectator it was a nice match”, he confessed.
– “We lost patience” –
This draw is Bayern’s second in a row in the Bundesliga, after last week’s 1-1 at home against Bayer Leverkusen.
The 10-point margin with Borussia Dortmund is misleading.
If Borussia Dortmund beat Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday and do so again on Wednesday in their late game (from Matchday 25), they would reduce the gap to four points with eight matchdays to go.
Brittle in defense and sometimes ineffective in front of goal, Bayern managed only 17 of a possible 27 points in the second half, their worst record in that period in the last 10 years.
“Overall, I’m happy with the performance,” said coach Julian Nagelsmann, reducing the alarmism. “We were very good during the first 20 minutes, then we lost patience in the pressure, we left spaces and we conceded the goal”.
In other games on Saturday, the 3-2 victory of Freiburg (4th) over Wolfsburg (12th), after scoring a goal in the 87th minute, puts them in the fight for Champions League places against Hoffenheim ( 5th) and Leipzig (6th).
For their part, Union Berlin (7th) missed a draw (1-1) at home against Stuttgart (16th).
Borussia Mönchengladbach moved away from the red zone sinking Hertha Berlin a little more (2-0).
Borussia Moenchengladbach (13th) now have a seven-point lead over Stuttgart, in the relegation play-off zone.
Hertha Berlin, 17th and penultimate, is directly in the relegation zone.
