VAN BASTEN
02-09-2003, 10:33 PM
BERLIN (AP)—
Naohiro Takahara stunned Bayern Munich Sunday with an injury time header that helped Hamburger SV pull out an unexpected 1-1 draw against the Bundesliga frontrunners.
The J-League's leading marksman from last season also stopped Bayern goalie Oliver Kahn's record at 805 scoreless minutes, although Bayern's draw is unlikely to slow their relentless march to the Bundesliga titles.
Bayern, getting an 11th minute goal from forward Claudio Pizarro, actually pulled nine points clear in the table. That's because their last challenger, Borussia Dortmund, was also surprised by Stuttgart and its young stars, losing 1-0.
Stuttgart, forced to rely on youth because of its debts, moved into third and points even as Croatian international Zvonimir Soldo headed in a trick free kick in the 77th minute.
While Stuttgart, which relies on rookies like Kevin Kuranyi and Alexander Hleb, actually dominated Dortmund for vast stretches of the first half, Hamburg's win came out of nowhere.
The Hamburg match seemed to be a constant flow of wasted Bayern chances, with the first half showing more than 60 percent ball control by Munich and a 6-0 shot ratio.
But Takahara's Japanese fans in the stands starting deliriously waving signs after the forward climbed high in the air to meet a pass into the box, getting his first Bundesliga goal.
Naohiro Takahara stunned Bayern Munich Sunday with an injury time header that helped Hamburger SV pull out an unexpected 1-1 draw against the Bundesliga frontrunners.
The J-League's leading marksman from last season also stopped Bayern goalie Oliver Kahn's record at 805 scoreless minutes, although Bayern's draw is unlikely to slow their relentless march to the Bundesliga titles.
Bayern, getting an 11th minute goal from forward Claudio Pizarro, actually pulled nine points clear in the table. That's because their last challenger, Borussia Dortmund, was also surprised by Stuttgart and its young stars, losing 1-0.
Stuttgart, forced to rely on youth because of its debts, moved into third and points even as Croatian international Zvonimir Soldo headed in a trick free kick in the 77th minute.
While Stuttgart, which relies on rookies like Kevin Kuranyi and Alexander Hleb, actually dominated Dortmund for vast stretches of the first half, Hamburg's win came out of nowhere.
The Hamburg match seemed to be a constant flow of wasted Bayern chances, with the first half showing more than 60 percent ball control by Munich and a 6-0 shot ratio.
But Takahara's Japanese fans in the stands starting deliriously waving signs after the forward climbed high in the air to meet a pass into the box, getting his first Bundesliga goal.