BERLIN (AP) — Honors even after Bayern Munich dominated defending champion Bayer Leverkusen in a 1-1 draw in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The Bavarian powerhouse’s inability to find a winning goal ended its six-game winning start to the season across all competitions.
But Vincent Kompany’s team will take more from the draw than counterpart Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, which has lost its aura of superiority since completing last season unbeaten to end Bayern’s 11-year reign as champion.
“It was only a draw, but the manner of it was very impressive,” Bayern director of sport Max Eberl said.
Leverkusen won their last meeting 3-0 in February, while the sides drew 2-2 in Alonso’s first visit to Munich as Leverkusen coach.
“The goal was to stay compact and allow little,” Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka said, referring to Bayern's big-scoring wins to start the season. “You can do more with the ball and everyone knows that we can do more.”
Bayern dominated the opening half-hour, but Robert Andrich scored. The combative Leverkusen midfielder volleyed Xhaka’s cut back from a corner to send the ball inside the left post.
It was the first time Bayern fell behind in a game since Kompany took over as coach.
Andrich was booked the next minute for a tackle on Harry Kane, who would go on to finish the game with no shots at goal – an anomaly.
Aleksandar Pavlović deservedly equalized in the 39th with a brilliant strike from outside the penalty area.
Also in the first half, Bayern supporters in the south end of the stadium held banners criticizing their club for the players’ grey jerseys instead of the usual red and white. They accused club management of simulating local pride.
After the break, Serge Gnabry hit the post, then the crossbar in the closest Bayern went to scoring again.
St. Pauli's wait ends
Elias Saad scored twice and set up another goal as Hamburg-based cult club St. Pauli claimed its first Bundesliga win for 13 years by 3-0 in Freiburg on Saturday.
Saad opened the scoring early, set up the next goal, then sealed the win when he surged past four Freiburg players on a counterattack in the 73rd minute, shortly after the home side had a goal ruled out through VAR for offside.
St. Pauli secured promotion as the second-division champion last season, returning to the top division for the first time since its relegation in 2011. It’s still known for its supporters’ left-wing stance and the pirate skull-and-crossbones emblem that was popularized by fans who identified as punks.
Germany forward Deniz Undav scored deep in stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 draw for 10-man Stuttgart at Wolfsburg.
Tomas Cvancara scored just as late to give Borussia Mönchengladbach a 1-0 win over Union Berlin, dealing the visitor its first defeat of the season.
Heidenheim enjoyed a 2-0 win in Mainz, where both teams finished with 10 men, and Leipzig coasted to a 4-0 win over visiting Augsburg.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press
