Bayern Munich held by Borussia Mönchengladbach in opener
Bayern Munich had to work their way back from a goal down in their Bundesliga season opener on Friday as they earned a 1-1 draw at Borussia Mönchengladbach thanks to last season’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski.
The Bayern forward, who scored a league record 41 goals last season, volleyed in from a corner to level in the 42nd minute after Alassane Pléa had put the hosts in front in the 10th.
There was no time for the new Bayern coach, Julian Nagelsmann, and the champions, who had won none of their four pre-season warmup matches, to settle in, with Gladbach instantly pressing high and Patrick Herrmann firing narrowly wide in the fourth minute.
With 23,000 fans allowed in the 60,000-capacity and firing up the home team, Herrmann should have finished a quick break himself a little later, instead of miscuing a pass for Lars Stindl.
With Bayern’s backline repeatedly caught out of position, Pléa did not miss when he latched on to a welltimed through ball from Stindl in the 10th minute to rifle past the keeper Manuel Neuer.
Bayern increased the tempo and Lewandowski twice came close to levelling but both times Sommer was in position to deny the striker.
Lewandowski, however, moved quickly to beat his marker three minutes from half-time to volley in the equaliser, and he came close to adding a second early in the second half but was denied by yet another superb Sommer save.
Gladbach’s Marcus Thuram also should have done better when he failed to connect with the ball in front of goal late in the game. He then twice protested for a penalty after going down inside the box after challenges by the Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano, but the game ended with honours even.