A win proved just out of reach for Bayern away to Hoffenheim on the opening weekend of the new Bundesliga season, but Munich at least gifted new boss Louis van Gaal a point on his 58th birthday after an often absorbing contest on Saturday evening.
For the second week in a row, Bayern played in front of a 30,150 full house at the Rhein-Neckar Arena in Sinsheim. Last week it was the cup and sixth-tier Neckarelz, but the first league clash of the new season promised a much tougher test against last term’s surprise package.
But the Bavarians were up for the fight, weathering the early storm and taking a 25th-minute lead through impressive debutant Ivica Olic, only for Chinedu Obasi to level before the interval.
Bayern were the more convincing of the sides in the second half, showing both invention and the willingness to scrap when necessary, but Alexander Baumjohann missed the best chance to seal the points and the tiring teams ultimately settled for a point apiece.
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