Despite a tight Bundesliga match on Saturday, leaders Bayern Munich ended up drawing 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen with nine men.
Second-placed Dortmund eased past Augsburg at home to move nine points behind reigning champions Bayern with eight games remaining.
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Alex Garcia’s goal gave Leverkusen the lead, with Bayern forward Nicholas Jackson red-handed before half-time.
Luis Diaz equalized but then received a second yellow card for diving in the penalty area.
Although Leverkusen had two shots blocked in stoppage time, Bayern still held on to a point.
Bayern also had goals from Jonathan Tah and substitute Harry Kane, but they were ruled out by VAR for handball in a sometimes frantic game at the Bayern Arena.
“The referee’s performance was terrible,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told DAZN.
“Why he (Diaz) got a red card, no one in the stadium knows anymore, it’s crazy…
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“Someone needs to explain to me why it was a yellow card at that stage of the game.
“It’s a huge blow and he will miss the next game.”
Bayer Leverkusen held Arsenal to a draw on Wednesday and they travel to London for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.
Garcia put Leverkusen ahead after six minutes of play in a fluid team move, with the Spanish midfielder receiving a pass from Patrick Schick and flicking the ball past Bayern’s third-choice goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, who is missing Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig due to injuries.
Former Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Tah looked to have leveled the score midway through the first half when he scored from a corner, but VAR intervened.
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Bayern’s hopes were dealt a further blow when Jackson dug his boot into Martin Thiel’s ankle before half-time and was sent off.
With 30 minutes remaining, Kane was sidelined with a calf knock and Bayern came on as a substitute, with the England captain believing he had scored after 47 seconds, but VAR again flagged handball.
Diaz finally equalized for Bayern in the 69th minute when he directed a precise pass from Michael Aulis.
While chasing the winning goal, the Colombian collapsed in the penalty area after a slight contact from Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blasovich and was shown a second yellow card for diving.
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Reduced to nine men for the first time since 2001, Bayern found itself in deep trouble to hold on to a point despite being numerically inferior in the closing stages.
– Dortmund is closer –
Borussia Dortmund moved two points ahead of Bayern with goals from Karim Adeyemi and Luca Reggiani in a 2-0 home win over Augsburg.
“We really enjoyed it today. We controlled the game,” Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha told DAZN.
Adeyemi gave Dortmund the lead in the 13th minute when he received a pass from Maximilian Bell from close range.
Dortmund’s win over 10-man Cologne last week was lackluster but the attack was fluid and Augsburg stayed in the game despite Adeyemi and Bale taking turns hitting the crossbar before the break.
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But just an hour before kick-off, 18-year-old centre-back Reggiani scored his first Bundesliga goal when he headed in Julian Ryerson’s corner kick.
The victory gave Dortmund 58 points, one more than last season’s final total.
In Saturday’s game, newly promoted Hamburg drew 1-1 with Cologne at home. Arsenal’s loaned player Fabio Vieira’s header for the host was scored by Said El Marra from close range.
Elsewhere, Arnaud Kalimuendo scored as Frankfurt beat bottom side Heidenheim 1-0.
Wolfsburg suffered a setback in a 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim and fell into the relegation zone.
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