THIRD-placed Borussia Dortmund were delighted by their 5-1 romp at Werder Bremen, while run-away Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich were left lamenting the Nuremberg pitch in their quest for perfection.
European champions Bayern remained 13 points clear in the Bundesliga as goals by Mario Mandzukic and captain Philipp Lahm sealed the Bavarian giants’ 2-0 win with 56 out of a possible 60 points this season.
This was Bayern’s 45th unbeaten Bundesliga match, dating back to October 2012, and their 29th unbeaten away league game to extend their records after a rare win in Nuremberg on Saturday.
But Bayern did not have things all their own way leaving coach Pep Guardiola to criticise the heavy Grundig Stadium which hampered Munich’s dominant passing game.
“I quickly noticed why Bayern had only won once in six years at Nuremberg,” said Guardiola.
“Nuremberg were aggressive and played very intensively, they had two or three clear chances.
“After we went 2-0 up, things got easier for us, but the pitch made things difficult and wasn’t good for our possession and short passing game.
“That is why we tried to put in more long balls, but our attitude was incredible.”
Despite the surface, Bayern still enjoyed more than 60 percent possession — down from the average of 75 they are accustomed to — while defeat dropped Nuremberg back into the bottom three.
