In a thrilling Bundesliga clash on Saturday, Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw by Union Berlin after a late equalizer from Benedict Hollerbach. Despite the setback, Bayern extended their lead at the top of the standings to nine points.
Bayern, aiming for their record-extending 34th league title, now sit on 62 points. Second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, who have a game in hand, will face Stuttgart on Sunday.
Under manager Julian Nagelsmann, Bayern dominated the early proceedings at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, setting up camp in Union’s half. However, the hosts’ resolute defense limited the Bavarian giants to long-range efforts.
The best chance of a goalless first half fell to Serge Gnabry in stoppage time. Michael Olise threaded a pass through Union’s backline, but Gnabry’s tight-angle shot was expertly saved by goalkeeper Frederik Rønnow.
After the break, Bayern continued to press for the opener. Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane came close but couldn’t convert promising opportunities. It wasn’t until the 75th minute that substitute Leroy Sané broke the deadlock, firing in from Olise’s cutback to give Bayern the lead.
Union Berlin, undeterred, made a double substitution in search of an equalizer. In the 83rd minute, Josip Juranović delivered a teasing cross into the box. Bayern’s stand-in goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, filling in for the injured Manuel Neuer and Daniel Peretz, misjudged the cross, producing a weak punch that fell to former Bayern academy player Hollerbach, who headed home to level the score.
The draw marks Bayern’s second consecutive league match without a win, following their shocking 3-2 home defeat to Bochum last week. For Union Berlin, the result moved them up one spot to 13th place and ended a winless streak of 12 Bundesliga meetings against Bayern.
The title race remains open as Bayern will need to regain momentum to fend off challengers, while Union Berlin will look to build on this positive result in their upcoming fixtures.
