Football: Soccer-Bayern battle past Union Berlin 1-0 to cut gap to top spot

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -Champions Bayern Munich eked out a 1-0 win over visitors Union Berlin in their postponed Bundesliga game on Wednesday to bounce back from last week’s home loss to Werder Bremen and cut the gap to the top to four points.

The game had been postponed in December due to heavy snowfall in Munich at the time.

Bayern, who will be without Dayot Upamecano for some time after he picked up a muscle injury, were eager to make amends for Sunday’s 1-0 defeat and the visitors had to soak up intense early pressure.

Union keeper Frederik Ronnow managed to stop Matthijs de Ligt’s header and Upamecano’s rebound in the seventh minute before tipping wide Kingsley Coman’s low shot a little later.

Winger Coman again went close to putting Bayern in front in the 23rd but his effort sailed just wide of the post with Bayern having close to 80 percent possession in the first half.

Raphael Guerreiro broke the deadlock seconds after the restart, drilling in on the rebound after Harry Kane’s shot had bounced off the post and into the Portuguese’s path, to settle the hosts’ nerves.

“We played very seriously and were very alert,” said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel.

“We had good chances to score, but we lacked precision. We failed to score that second goal. We didn’t allow any breaks at all. A reaction was needed (after Bremen) and we got the result we wanted.”

Union had coach Nenad Bjelica sent off in the 74th for shoving Bayern’s Leroy Sane twice in the face after the player went to get the ball from the Union coach.

The visitors had earlier called for a penalty after Kevin Behrens had charged into the box but was stopped by Bayern’s Konrad Laimer just before taking a shot.

“The ball came to me and I went to give it to Sane,” Bjelica said. “He pushed me and then I reacted in a way I should not have — with my hand in his face. I felt provoked and I just reacted the way I should not have done.”

Bayern, who saw new signing Eric Dier come on as a second half substitute, move up to 44 points in second place, with Leverkusen leading the title race on 48.

(Reporting by Karolos GrohmannEditing by Toby Davis and Pritha Sarkar)