FC Bayern II draw 2-2 with SG Sonnenhof Grossaspach

Like Bayern Munich’s senior squad against RB Leipzig, Bayern’s reserve side (FCB II) had to make do with a draw, after surrendering a two-goal lead to finish 2-2 against SG Sonnenhof Grossaspach on Saturday. Bayern’s reserves have gotten off to a shaky start in the 3. Liga this season and the result against Grossaspach keeps them in the 17th spot in the table.

Zylla dazzles in the first half

In the first half, Bayern were the stronger side and closed the first interval 2-0 up thanks to a brace from Marcel Zylla. In the opening stages of the first half, both sides played conservatively to avoid making costly mistakes, but the match opened up after Zylla broke the deadlock in the 24th minute after a sloppy play from Grossaspach’s keeper Constantin Frommann.

After Zylla’s opener, the openness of the match as Grossaspach searched for an equalizer suited Bayern, and they had a number of chances to double their lead prior to Zylla’s second goal in the 46th minute. Oliver Batista Meier’s chance in the 31st minute was one of the best of the half among a flurry of others, but Bayern was unable to double their lead until Zylla bagged his second just before the halftime whistle after finishing off a brilliant play started by Sarpeet Signh’s lobbed pass.

Wasted opportunities in the second

The second half was a different story as Grossaspach were forced to play more adventurously. Chances were few and far between for the home side, but in contrast to Bayern, Grossaspach made the most of the chances they were given. It took a while for Grossaspach to find a way back into the match, but the comeback was sparked in the 72nd minute when Dominik Martinović headed home a free kick from close range; there wasn’t much Christian Früchtl could do from such close range. In the 85th minute, Panagiotis Vlachodimos finished off a series of tidy, one-touch, close-range passing with a thunderous strike into the upper left corner of Früchtl’s goal, completing the two-goal comeback and rescuing a point for Grossaspach

Speaking after the match, Bayern manager Sebastian Hoeness said his side were left to rue their missed chances and that they should’ve finished the match off properly (FCBayern.com):

We’re obviously very annoyed at how we failed to take away three points that were absolutely possible. After the 2:0, we did not do enough with our opportunities to counter and faile dto seal the deal. Grossaspach threw everything forward. We have to exploit that better. In the second half, we made too many wrong decisions.

Link to Match Highlights (YouTube)