Football: Soccer-Bayern stage comeback in 2-2 draw with Leipzig but drop to third

LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) -Bayern Munich struck twice in the second half to come from two goals down and snatch a 2-2 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday but the champions dropped to third place in the Bundesliga with their second draw of the season.

Goals from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane in the second half cancelled out Leipzig’s first-half lead but the result left Bayern on 14 points in third, two behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Leipzig, who host Manchester City in the Champions League next week, are fifth, a further point behind.

“Two very different halves from our perspective,” Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said. “In the first we started well but only for the first two minutes and missed that huge chance.”

The visitors should have gone in front in the third minute when Kane sent Jamal Musiala through but the Germany international fluffed his golden chance and saw his close-range effort parried by keeper Janis Blaswich.

“We were too slow, made too many mistakes and were not courageous enough. After the break we showed a different mentality, a different punch.”

“It was a bit wild, with a lot of risk but it is a positive result, not to lose after being 2-0 down. We showed character,” Tuchel said. Bayern travel to Copenhagen in the Champions League next week.

Leipzig, who beat Bayern 3-0 in the German Super Cup last month, struck twice in six minutes with Lois Openda putting them in front in the 20th when he completed a quick break.

Before Bayern had any time to bounce back, they scored again with Castello Lukeba stabbing in from close range after keeper Sven Ulreich misjudged a corner.

Bayern earned a 57th-minute penalty against the run of play for a handball and Kane kept his cool to cut the deficit with his eighth league goal.

Only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, when he played for Borussia Dortmund, has managed to score more often in his first six Bundesliga games with nine goals.

The Bavarians’ comeback was complete in the 70th with Kane clearing the ball in his own half and Musiala finding Leroy Sane for the equaliser.

Ulreich secured the point for Bayern deep in stoppage time when he sprinted out of the box to clear the ball before the charging Benjamin Sesko could strike.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Clare Fallon)