Bayern were unable to add to the celebrations marking the first day of this year’s Oktoberfest on Saturday, as ultra-defensive FC Köln ground out a goalless stalemate to maintain their status as the only Bundesliga club never to have lost at the Allianz Arena.
The 69,000 capacity crowd saw a first half fully conforming to the norm when FCB play at home, with the home side camped out in the final third but finding chances hard to come by against grimly determined opponents. There was much greater urgency to the double winners’ play after half-time, but Köln keeper Faryd Mondragon was in sparkling form and the Rhineland side stood firm till the end.
The result moves the Bavarians up to eighth in the standings on five points, five behind second-placed Hoffenheim and seven off early leaders Mainz. Curiously enough, the top two are Bayern’s next Bundesliga opponents on Tuesday and Saturday next week.
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