In what was a rather tough watch for all concerned, Eintracht Braunschweig and 1860 Munich both drew blanks on Sunday afternoon. In what was billed as the battle of the Lions, the pair failed to live up to their nicknames.
A dull first half
The opening exchanges were a defensive battle, with neither side able to break down the other's defence. Despite early bookings for Richard Neudecker, who seems set to be offered a new deal with the Lions, and Milos Degenek the visitors looked assured at the back under Benno Möhlmann.
It took 25 minutes for any sort of shot to be registered at goal, with Joesph Baffo and Emil Berggreen having the first attempts. The best chance, however, fell to Phil Ofosu-Ayeh, who sped through on goal before Vitus Eicher produced a top class one-on-one stop. Neudecker was forced off towards the end of the half as Möhlmann did not want to risk an early sending off, with Maximilian Wittek taking his place. Unfortunately, neither side could find the back of the net before the break.
Second period produces chances but no goals
Ofosu-Ayeh again went close after the restart but the better opportunities came the way of Daylon Claasen. After shooting wide from a comfortable position inside the box, the South African was denied by a superb save from Rafal Gikiewicz, who somehow managed to deal with his powerful effort.
Braunschweig thought they'd finally got a breakthrough with 15 minutes to go, though it was ruled out for a foul. Gerrit Holtmann's initial shot was saved by Eicher but as Ken Reichel tapped in the rebound, there was a foul spotted against Baffo and the game continued goal-less. 1860's late lunge for glory fell the way of Stefan Mugosa, although he couldn't find the required finish as the match ended nil-nil.