Marcel Halstenberg, a defender for Leipzig, equalized after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored in the first half to keep Leipzig in third place, six points behind league leader Bayern.
The Bundesliga resumed on Friday with a 1-1 draw between Bayern Munich and Leipzig after an unprecedented winter break of two months.
Marcel Halstenberg, a defender for Leipzig, equalized after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored in the first half to keep Leipzig in third place, six points behind league leader Bayern.
“After a two-month break there were things we did well and other things we could have done better,” says Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann. We were a little too hasty in the final third.
On Thursday, goalkeeper Yann Sommer made his Bayern debut as the injured Manuel Neuer’s replacement following his transfer from Borussia Mönchengladbach. However, in a disappointing match, the Swiss goalkeeper had few opportunities to shine.
“I was so looking forward to it,” Sommer stated. Since we were a new team and I was a new goalkeeper, it wasn’t always perfect, but it was still fun. We’d rather have been victorious.
The German league had to extend its winter break due to the World Cup, which was moved halfway through the season to avoid the scorching summer temperatures in Qatar.
Bayern, which also held its winter training camp there, got off to a better start with Leon Goretzka’s goal disallowed for offside and Serge Gnabry’s deflected shot hitting the post.
Gnabry crossed in the 37th for Choupo-Moting to score. Bayern players were upset about what they believed to be an André Silva foul on Joshua Kimmich in the buildup to Halstenberg’s early equalizer in the second half.
The charge against Goretzka was an excessive protest. Kimmich’s careless clearance in the past was more to blame.
Because of the draw, Bayern is now five points ahead of second-place Freiburg, who play Wolfsburg on Saturday. Bayern’s goal is to win an unprecedented 11th German championship in a row.