Dortmund slip up again with 1-1 draw at Augsburg to stay fifth

BERLIN : Borussia Dortmund stumbled to a 1-1 draw at Augsburg on Saturday to make it three league games without a win and lose further ground in the title race.

The Ruhr valley club, with just one win in the last seven Bundesliga matches, are fifth on 26 points, 10 behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen who are in action against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday and can further widen the gap.

Champions Bayern Munich, second on 32, host third-placed VfB Stuttgart on Sunday with the league breaking after next week's action until Jan. 12.

Ermedin Demirovic put hosts Augsburg in front after beating defender Nico Schlotterbeck for the ball and scoring in the 23rd minute.

Their lead lasted only 12 minutes though, with Donyell Malen combining superbly with Niclas Fuellkrug and drilling in a low shot as Dortmund looked to bounce back from last week's loss to RB Leipzig.

Improving Augsburg, who have lost just once in their last eight Bundesliga matches under coach Jess Thorup, had three consecutive chances in a strong start to the second half before Dortmund responded with a shot from Fuellkrug that sailed just wide of the post.

Dortmund, who had a string of chances throughout the second half, came agonisingly close to a last-gasp winner when Germany international Fuellkrug spectacularly connected with a Thomas Meunier cross.

But his mid-air volley in the 87th was tipped on to the post by keeper Finn Dahmen, who had also denied Malen a minute earlier.