Bayern drop points but retain first place

Very unusually, Bayern fans will have been supporting Nürnberg on Sunday afternoon, as Munich’s Bavarian rivals entertained Bayer Leverkusen, who would have gone top of the Bundesliga with a win. But after FCB wastefully dropped two points in a 1-1 draw away to Köln on Saturday afternoon, Leverkusen left Franconia empty-handed. Bayer’s 3-2 defeat sees them slip to third and means Bayern remain top of the pile.

After appearing a two-horse race just a couple of weeks ago, the battle for the championship shield has now developed into a three-way contest, as Schalke beat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 away from home on Saturday to go second, two points off Bayern. “It's tight, and it’ll remain tight,” said director of sport Christian Nerlinger after the match in Cologne: “It’s going to be a long and hard fight for the title.”