DORTMUND: Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich scored an 85th-minute equaliser through in-form Jamal Musiala to rescue a 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund in the Klassiker on Saturday and go seven points clear at the top.
The downside for Bayern is their striker Harry Kane was ruled out “for the time being” with a hamstring tear, as he limped off after 33 minute with a left thigh issue.
Bayern issued a statement on Sunday saying the England captain “suffered a small muscle tear in the back of his right thigh”.
“Bayern will have to do without Harry Kane for the time being.”
German tabloid Bild said Kane was likely to miss two weeks of action.
Dortmund, who had won their previous six home games in the league this season, took a 27th-minute lead thanks to Jamie Gittens’s superb solo effort.
The Bavarians, who had won their last seven matches across all competitions without conceding a goal, improved after the break and carved out a string of chances but lacked some clinical finish before Musiala’s equaliser.
“We’re annoyed with the first half because we did not play the way we had wanted. We improved in the second half but we would have liked to score earlier,” said Bayern’s Thomas Muller.
There was a setback for Dortmund too in a rollercoaster first half as their defender Waldemar Anton was taken off after 17 minutes.
Bayern are on 30 points in top spot while Dortmund remain in fifth on 20.
Earlier, Patrik Schick scored the winner as Bayer Leverkusen edged Union Berlin 2-1 to keep Bayern in sight.
Leverkusen had flown out of the blocks, taking the lead inside two minutes through Jeremie Frimpong before Jeong Woo-yeong struck back for the hosts to restore parity before the break.
But the champions found a winner in the 71st minute, with Czech forward Schick meeting Florian Wirtz’s cross to settle a finely balanced game in their favour.
Meanwhile, VfL Wolfsburg pulled off a shock 5-1 win at RB Leipzig, giving former Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl a triumphant return to his former club.
Leipzig endured a nightmare start, with Wolfsburg leading 2-0 inside the first five minutes.
Algerian striker Mohamed Amoura opened the scoring in the fourth minute, with Tiago Tomas doubling the advantage a minute later.
Amoura added his second after 16 minutes, and Joakim Maehle piled on the misery for the hosts after the break.
Leipzig captain Willi Orban tapped in a late consolation, but it was too little, too late, as Leipzig conceded four for the second consecutive league game and are now winless in six games, including four in the league, slipping to fourth.
In contrast, Wolfsburg have climbed to seventh and are unbeaten in their last five league games.
Elsewhere, Freiburg held off Borussia Moenchengladbach to win 3-1 and bounce back from their 4-0 trouncing in Dortmund last weekend.
In Bremen, Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic scored a brace as the visitors twice fought back to secure a 2-2 draw.
A first-half penalty by Phillip Tietz gave Augsburg a 1-0 win over Bochum, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table with two points.
Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2024
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