Five victories, two draws, 17 goals scored and seven conceded: FC Bayern boast an impressive record in the most recent phase of midweek matches. On Saturday they concluded the busy autumn period with a 1-1 draw against TSG Hoffenheim, the unbeaten side lying third in the table. Bayern had won all of their five games prior to the clash, but the result means the German record champions have yet to be beaten in the current Bundesliga campaign and retain top spot in the table before the last international break of the year.
However, Carlo Ancelotti's troops struggled against the visitors for a long time. Especially in the first half "we didn't do so well," analysed Ancelotti after the final whistle: "We struggled a little at the beginning and failed to shake off Hoffenheim's pressing." Kerem Demirbay surprisingly put his side in the lead on the quarter-hour as Hoffenheim played with courage and kept the hosts away from their goal for a long time.
"It took us until the opener, then we found our way into the game," said FCB centre-back Mats Hummels. Bayern upped the pressure after the goal but failed to create gilt-edged chances. FCB eventually levelled the scores through Steven Zuber's own goal - the defender made a hash of trying to clear the ball to thwart the lurking Robert Lewandowski. The final scoreline was settled before the break.
Rummenigge enthused, Müller angry
"It was a great game, a true top clash," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge praised afterwards. "You could see Hoffenheim aren't in third for no reason. They're a good team. I think they'll establish themselves in the upper third of the table," Rummenigge commented, acknowledging the opponents who "had the upper hand in the first half."
The men from Munich could have wrapped up the victory in the second half, applying more pressure and creating promising opportunities after the interval. However, Bayern lacked the necessary bit of luck, one of the reasons why the game ended in a stalemate: Hummels and Müller both hit the post in the closing stages. "I'm satisfied with what we showed out on the pitch, but not with the result. I think we deserved to win in the end," Ancelotti summarised.
"We absolutely wanted the victory. Unfortunately we didn't win today, you can tell from the atmosphere," Müller said, rueing the two dropped points in general and his missed chance in particular. "It's not that you begin to doubt, but at the moment I'm in a very bad mood," added Müller, who has yet to score in the current league campaign.
The chairman, once a world-class forward himself, encouraged Müller. "As European Footballer of the Year I too had a phase of ten matches without a goal. You just have to work, work and work, and at some point you'll score three again. He'll experience it soon, that's my prediction for him today," said Rummenigge, who was not completely unhappy after the last match before the international break: "We have to be content with a draw sometimes. Everything's okay!"
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