Bayern Munich missed their chance to open an 11-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga, while they were held up on Saturday by a thrilling 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
Julian Nagelsmann’s team led 5-0 in the 37th minute of the reverse match last October, taking just 18 minutes at the Allianz Arena to take the lead under Niklas Sule.
An own goal from Thomas Muller took it to the next level in the first half, but neither could find the winner after the break, despite an end-to-end game that created several chances.
The result puts Bayern nine points ahead of second-placed Dortmund, who have one game left and won’t be on the field until March 13, while Gerardo Seoane’s Leverkusen is 14 points behind leaders in third place.
Amine Adli narrowly converted the first chance of the game for Leverkusen and it was Bayern that opened the score shortly afterwards.
Sule passed Lukas Hradecky after Charles Aranguiz threw in from the baseline in a corner from Joshua Kimmich, before Serge Gnabry went wide.
Parity was quickly restored when Muller put a free kick from Kerem Demirbay into his own net and Leverkusen should have taken the lead at halftime.
Adli passed Sven Ulreich on a stubborn pass from Dayot Upamecano, but only managed to hit the post before the visiting player shot wide himself with a clear pass, before Aranguiz was sent off by the Bayern goalkeeper minutes later.
Jamal Musiala forces Hradecky to take a break after the break when Florian Wirtz’s deft touch comes just over the side, while Ulreich is seemingly knocked out on the other side.
Hradecky turned down the one-on-one replacement for Marcel Sabitzer shortly after his introduction, as Bayern’s attempt to score the winning goal failed.
Which means? Bayern calm despite missed opportunity
Bayern were looking for a fifth consecutive first division win over Leverkusen for the second time in the Bundesliga, but failed against the young side of Seoane.
Nagelsmann’s team still has a big lead over Dortmund. Leverkusen, meanwhile, is four points clear of fourth-placed Freiburg after Christian Streich’s team split the bill with RB Leipzig’s four main rivals.
Sule shines
Sule has already agreed to move to Dortmund at the end of the season when his contract expires, but Nagelsmann assured the centre-back would be busy with Bayern until then.
The 26-year-old repaid his coach’s trust with an impressive display, albeit not a winning one, as he completed 99 successful passes, with no player trying more in the other half (53).
Lewandowski lost
Lewandowski has scored 28 goals in just 24 Bundesliga games this season before taking on Leverkusen, but Seoane’s three-man defense stifled him as he failed to score for the second game in a row.
The Poland international made just 16 passes and 38 touches, the fewest starting players than Bayern, hitting the target with just one of his record six tries.
Follow that?
Bayern will receive Salzburg on Tuesday in the return leg of the Champions League, before visiting Hoffenheim on Saturday. Leverkusen will face Atalanta on Thursday in the 16th leg of the Europa League, before playing Cologne three days later.
