Football: Bayern Munich 2 - 2 Borussia Dortmund

Bayern Munich stumble slightly in title race

Bayern Munich missed the opportunity to open up an eight-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga after being held to a breathless 2-2 draw by Borussia Dortmund.

Author - Ed

The hosts dominated large spells of the first half but failed to convert their control into goals. They were made to pay for their wastefulness when Maximilian Beier ghosted past his marker to nod home between the legs of Jonas Urbig, remarkably the visitors' first shot on target.

Bayern almost responded immediately, with Dortmund defender Waldemar Anton inadvertently turning a cross onto the underside of his own bar. But it wasn’t until Serge Gnabry’s introduction that the tide truly began to turn.

The former Arsenal winger’s sharp movement opened space for Raphael Guerreiro to level against his former club, and within minutes, Bayern were in front. Gnabry danced past two defenders before curling a fine finish past Gregor Kobel to cap an inspired cameo.

Yet Dortmund, currently eighth and still six points adrift of the Champions League places, refused to go quietly. Anton made amends for his earlier scare by reacting quickest after Serhou Guirassy’s acrobatic attempt was parried into his path, sweeping home to snatch a point.

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Despite the frustrating result, Vincent Kompany’s side remain six points clear at the summit with five games to play. Bayer Leverkusen had earlier dropped points with a draw at home to Union Berlin.

Both teams came into the contest off the back of midweek Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeats. Bayern had the advantage of playing at home on Tuesday, while Dortmund were on the road in Barcelona a day later. That extra rest appeared to show early on, with Harry Kane twice denied by Kobel during a lively opening spell.

Beier’s opener came somewhat against the run of play, aided by some slack defending from Kim Min-jae, but Gnabry’s directness gave Bayern renewed purpose after the break.

There were chances for either side to win it late on. Former Brighton man Pascal Gross went close with a delicate lob, while Michael Olise, once of Crystal Palace, spurned a golden opportunity when he sidefooted wide under little pressure.