Bayern held at home by spirited Mainz
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich were twice forced to come from behind at home to Mainz on Saturday to earn a point in a 2-2 draw.
Bayern Munich 2-2 Mainz
Goals: 0-1 Bojan (3'), 1-1 Robben (16'), 1-2 Brosinski (pen. 40'), 2-2 Thiago (73')
Sensing Bayern might be vulnerable following their elimination from the UEFA Champions League during the week, Mainz began aggressively and were rewarded almost instantly when Bojan Krkic opened the scoring inside three minutes. The hosts equalised soon afterwards through Arjen Robben following a nice pass from Franck Ribery, but Mainz's bold strategy paid dividends once more before the break when Daniel Brosinski scored from the penalty spot after Yoshinori Muto was fouled.
Thiago and Robben both went close soon after the interval as Bayern signaled their intent to wrestle back control of the match, and eventually their persistence paid off when Thiago skipped past a couple of tackles on the edge of the box and drilled into the bottom corner. It remained one-way traffic towards the Mainz goal in the closing stages, but Carlo Ancelotti's men were unable to grab a late winner as the visitors held on for a vital point.
Man of the Match
Öztunali was in inspired form at the Allianz Arena. The 21-year-old was fearless going forward, unafraid to take on Mats Hummels and Juan Bernat, and was a dangerous outlet on the right wing with his pace and dribbling.
Talking Point
Bayern were not at their best but nevertheless managed to come from behind twice and grind pick up a point, edging them ever closer to an unprecedented fifth successive Bundesliga crown.
Match stats
- Bojan's early strike was his first in the Bundesliga.Robben has now reached double figures (ten goals this season) in six of his eight Bundesliga campaigns.Brosinski took and scored his first ever penalty in the Bundesliga. He has now netted two of his three league goals against the Bavarians.
Line-ups
Bayern: Ulreich – Rafinha, Hummels, Alaba (Kimmich 17'), Bernat – Thiago, Vidal (Alonso 65') – Robben, Müller (c), Ribery (Coman 46') - Lewandowski
Coach: Carlo Ancelotti
Mainz: Huth – Donati, Bell (c), Hack, Brosinski (Balogun 52') – Frei, Latza – Öztunali, Bojan, Quaison (Ramalho 78') – Muto
Coach: Martin Schmidt
Watch: Thiago cut a frustrated figure after the draw with Mainz