Below-par Bayern were forced to settle for a disappointing draw away to Bavarian rivals Nürnberg on Saturday, a result which means the champions slip back to fourth in the standings with five games to play. To rub salt into the wound, Arjen Robben saw a straight red card for dissent after the final whistle and will now miss at least two matches with suspension.The 48,548 full house at the Easy-Credit-Stadion in Nuremberg saw Thomas Müller fire Louis van Gaal’s men ahead after just five minutes, but it was the only truly clear-cut chance of a first period in which Bayern were largely content to contain their busy opponents.
The home side came out fighting after the interval and Christian Eigler levelled on the hour with a stunning volley. There were chances at both ends as the action hotted up towards the end, but Mario Gomez blasted over an open goal and the game remained deadlocked through to the end.
The draw, combined with Hannover’s 2-0 win over Mainz, means the champions are down to fourth in the Bundesliga with 52 points from 29 matches, a point off Hannover and six behind second-placed Leverkusen, who play tomorrow – and then visit the Allianz Arena next Sunday, in what could be a showdown for the coveted runners-up spot.
With Daniel van Buyten (hamstring) not yet back in contention, Van Gaal sent out a line-up unchanged from last week’s battling 1-0 victory at home to Monchengladbach. Keeper Thomas Kraft, skipper Philipp Lahm, Luiz Gustavo, Holger Badstuber and Danijel Pranjic formed the defence, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos in central midfield, and Arjen Robben Franck Ribery, Müller and Gomez going for goal.
Just five minutes after referee Knut Kircher whistled the match underway on a beautiful afternoon in Nuremberg, Bayern had the lead when Robben intercepted a wayward Javier Pinola pass and delivered a sumptuous angled ball for Müller to control, swerve round Almog Cohen and slot past home keeper Raphael Schäfer.
Bayern loanee Mehmet Ekici hit the side-netting from a free-kick, Slovak prodigy Robert Mak shanked wide, Belgian veteran Timmy Simons headed over and Cohen aimed a curler too high as FCN sought a swift response, but the visitors looked dangerous on sporadic thrusts down the flanks from Robben, Ribery and Lahm.
Philipp Wollscheid just got enough on Gomez’ close-range effort to prevent a second, Ribery flashed a drive wide, and the France star combined with Müller to set up a half-chance for Gomez as the men from Munich eased into gear midway through the half, but there was a let-off for FCB seven minutes from the break when Kraft sliced an attempted clearance from Cohen’s hopeful punt, the ball travelling behind the keeper and past the post for a corner before Eigler could reach it.
Van Gaal made two changes for the second half, replacing the subdued Kroos with Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, and the injured Pranjic with Diego Contento, the left-back returning to first-team action for the first time since an injury last autumn. Nürnberg started the second period on the attack, Jens Hegeler smacking two long-range efforts over the bar, before Badstuber was booked for a foul on US international Tim Chandler, ruling the Germany defender out of next week’s Bayer clash with suspension for a fifth yellow of term.
Wollscheid smothered a Gomez shot after Robben’s dart into the box, before disaster struck on the hour when Kraft came out of his box on the right-hand side but dropped his lobbed clearance way too short, Eigler brilliantly volleying back over the keeper’s head from fully 30 yards to level the scores.
Van Gaal had been about to send on Andi Ottl to shore up the midfield, but switched tack now and replaced the tiring Müller with Miro Klose. Eigler’s lob drifted inches wide of the far stick as FCN threatened, but Cohen was forced to clear off the line as Klose almost marked his introduction with a goal.
Pinola whistled a drive narrowly too high and Ekici missed by even more, before Gomez failed with an attempted near-post flick and Schäfer clutched Robben’s drive. Gomez then skied a sitter after charging clear and seeing his first effort blocked by the FCN keeper, Hegeler missed his kick with the Bayern goal at his mercy, and Schäfer just managed to beat Gomez to a bouncing ball.
The champions had a huge shout for a penalty waved away a minute from time when Andreas Wolf appeared to handle in the box, but Nürnberg finished the game on the attack and FCB ultimately had to settle for an unsatisfactory point, with Robben’s red card after the final whistle the negative highlight of the afternoon.
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