1-1 draw in benefit match at Kaiserslautern

In action for a good cause: two days after the cup final in Berlin, Bayern played out a 1-1 draw against Kaiserslautern in a benefit match, which served to help the Red Devils secure their licence to continue playing in the third tier of German football. In a sold-out Fritz Walter Stadium, Hendrick Zuck fired the ninth-placed 3rd division team into the lead after 8 minutes. Robert Lewandowski equalized for Niko Kovac's team ten minutes before the final whistle.

The double winners, reinforced with some young talents following a hard season, had to cope with an early setback: Zuck scored with the first shot of the game in the 8th minute after a cross from Janek Sternberg. Around ten minutes later, Sven Ulreich made a brilliant save from a Julius Biada shot, and at the other end, substitute Maximilian Franzke's long-range effort just shaved the post on 27 minutes. That was it for the first half, and the teams headed for the dressing rooms with the score at 1-0.

Sub Lewandowski stings the hosts

That's where nine of the home side's players stayed after the break, and the fresh players started the half full of energy. Kevin Kraus (49th minute) and Christian Kühlwetter (53rd) failed to convert some good chances. Joshua Zirkzee responded for the Bavarians in the 56th minute, but he was foiled by Kaiserslautern keeper Lennart Grill. Shortly afterwards, Dominik Schad blocked a long-range effort from Maximilian Zaiser on the goal-line. Substitute Christian Früchtl also got the chance to show what he was capable of when he parried a deflected header from Carlo Sickinger after 67 minutes.

In the final phase of the match, Kovac brought new momentum to the Bayern attack. First substitute Franck Ribéry hit the post from a narrow angle, and shortly afterwards Kingsley Coman jinked his way through on the right wing before crossing to Lewandowski for the deserved equaliser ten minutes from the end. Florian Pick missed the chance to win the game for the hosts with a lob with just four minutes to go, and the final result of a draw was a fair one.