Bayern held in Freiburg to boost Leverkusen title hopes

FREIBURG IM BREISGAU: Bayern Munich were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg on Friday, an 87th-minute equaliser from Lucas Hoeler giving leaders Bayer Leverkusen a chance to go 10 points clear. Mathys Tel’s 35th-minute stunner had cancelled out an impressive opener from Freiburg captain Christian Guenter, before Jamal Musiala’s spectacular solo effort looked to have snared the three points for Bayern.

Hoeler however had other ideas, chipping a volley through a crowded Bayern penalty area and past a helpless Manuel Neuer. Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel criticised his players’ “body language and lack of bite” in the first half an hour, telling DAZN “we played completely without structure and had no discipline and weren’t in our positions.” Calling his side “panicky”, Tuchel said: “We did things that we’ve never trained, that we’ve never spoken about. “We played like it was the 85th minute and we were a goal down.”

Musiala told DAZN he felt “frustrated”. “Since I’ve been at Bayern it’s been in my head that we must win and we hate to lose. We want to win the Bundesliga, we want to win titles,” he said. Bayern have now failed to win away from home in four matches dating back to January in both the Bundesliga and Champions League. Tuchel’s side face Lazio at home in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, staring down an early exit with a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in Rome.

Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen can go 10 points clear of the Bavarians with a win against lowly Cologne in their derby clash on Sunday as they chase a first-ever Bundesliga title. “We played a good game” Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo told DAZN. “It’s clear that you have to suffer against Bayern.”