Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich played out a goalless draw in Der Klassiker that leaves Pep Guardiola’s men five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
Bayern had pulled clear of second-played Dortmund in the league in September and, as recently as last weekend, captain Philipp Lahm had suggested the reigning champions were already in sight of another title triumph.
Bayern’s midweek loss to Mainz, though, meant Dortmund could pull within two points of their rivals with a victory at the Westfalenstadion.
While there was much at stake on Saturday, both sides adopted an attacking approach from the outset that yielded chances at both ends.
Bayern perhaps came closest in the first half when Douglas Costa went through on goal only to be denied by Roman Burki, and they were even closer on 64 minutes, when Burki did superbly to tip Arturo Vidal’s shot onto the crossbar.
Neither side was ultimately able to force a winner, and the draw leaves Bayern in a strong position to claim a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga title.
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