Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku heads the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
MUNICH — Bayern Munich was held to a 0-0 draw Sunday by Leipzig as it stayed top of the Bundesliga but failed to extend its lead in the pursuit of an eighth consecutive title.
Leipzig did well to blunt a Bayern attack which had scored 16 goals in its last four games and dominated possession. With its top scorer Timo Werner struggling to hit the target, Leipzig failed to take its own chances to score on the counterattack in the second draw between the teams this season.
Bayern leads Leipzig by one point. The title chase made both teams unwilling to risk everything for a win, Bayern midfielder Thomas Müller said in televised comments.
“After the 60th minute neither of the two teams wanted to take that absolute risk,” he said. “We missed the chance to make this game into our game.”
Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi made two crucial saves, first to punch away Thiago Alcantara’s shot in the fifth minute, then to stop Leon Goretzka’s low attempt in the 79th. Other Bayern efforts were repeatedly blocked by Leipzig defenders.
Bayern had a penalty awarded and then taken away in the 53rd minute. Leipzig center-back Dayot Upamecano brought down Robert Lewandowski in the penalty area but, as Lewandowski stood ready to take the spot-kick, a video review showed he was offside before the foul.
Leipzig’s Werner has 20 league goals this season but was out of sorts Sunday. He missed one good chance in the first half and shot wide again when Christopher Nkunku sent him one-on-one with Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the 63rd — the clearest chance of the game for either team.
That meant Werner failed to score for Leipzig’s fourth game in a row in all competitions. Even though Leipzig didn’t win, an upbeat Werner suggested the result marked a return to form after a loss to Eintracht Frankfurt on Jan. 25 and a draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach last week.
“Now we are second, we can attack from behind, and maybe we can still do it too,” Werner said of the title race.
The draw ended an eight-game winning run for Bayern in all competitions and extended Leipzig’s winless streak to four games.
Earlier, the game between fourth-place Borussia Mönchengladbach and Cologne was called off with a storm expected to batter the region.
The game was postponed after talks between both clubs, the league, the police and the fire service. No new date has been set. Gladbach had said the game itself would likely not be affected but that fans could face a dangerous journey home. Other games were called off due to bad weather in the English, Dutch and Belgian leagues.