Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman (L) vies with Nuremberg's Matheus Pereira during a German Bundesliga match between 1.FC Nuremberg and FC Bayern Munich in Nuremberg, Germany, on April 28, 2019. The match ended 1-1. (Xinhua/Philippe Ruiz)
BERLIN, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Bottom side Nuremberg keep the title race alive after holding front runners Bayern Munich to a surprising 1-1 draw at the closer of the 31st round of Bundesliga on Sunday.
Bayern Munich failed to benefit from Borussia Dortmund's 4-2 loss to extend their lead atop the standings to four points as Serge Gnabry's equalizer rescued the German record champions only one point at regelation threatened Nuremberg.
From the start, Nuremberg showed their Bavarian neighbours that it will be no plain sailing to wrap up points on the road.
Facing Nuremberg's well-positioned defence, Bayern failed to produce clear-cut opportunities for most of the first half.
Only David Alaba came close to break the deadlock but the freekick by the Austrian international was tipped to the crossbar by Nuremberg goalkeeper Christian Mathenia in the 23rd minute.
The visitors had to survive a late scare in the closing period of the first half as Bayern custodian Sven Ulreich had to clear the ball following a reckless back pass from Mats Hummels in the 36th minute.
After the restart, Nuremberg flabbergasted the visitors as Sven Ulreich blocked a shot on target into the path of Matheus Pereira, who hammered the rebound into the bottom corner with 48 minutes played.
Bayern responded with frenetic attacks and came close through James Rodriguez, who rattled the woodwork with a direct free kick from 20 meters before Serge Gnabry restored parity by volleying home Kingsley Coman's cross in the 75th minute.
The visitors dominated and remained on the front foot but still the hosts had the golden opportunity. Tim Leibold squandered an awarded foul play penalty in the closing period.
Bayern had also the chance to secure a late victory but Mathenia denied Coman's one-on-one in the dying seconds of the game.
With the draw, Bayern Munich extend their lead to two points atop the standings whereas Nuremberg stay on the 17th place, which is a direct relegation spot.
"We had a tough German Cup match on Wednesday. That was obvious. Nuremberg threw everything in and defended passionately for more than 90 minutes," Bayern coach Niko Kovac said.
Elsewhere, Hoffenheim missed the chance to secure their ticket for the UEFA Europa League after losing 4-1 to Wolfsburg, who stake out a claim for a place in Europe as well.
