What the papers say: 'Penalty decision decisive '

What the papers say:

The Welt am Sonntag saw and described a "flukey win for Bayern": "FCB had to overcome several tricky situations at the end of the game. Too passive in defence, the Munich side allowed the opposition space and were lucky that the referee Marco Fritz failed to spot a handball by Javier Martinez in the penalty area (82'). … The second-placed team took the lead against a brave and disciplined attacking Leverkusen team through a Thiago header (30'). Following the equaliser from Hakan Calhanoglu, who scored after a one-two with Julian Brandt (35'), Munich were clearly unsettled."

Bild am Sonntag writes: "Martinez handball! Ref misses penalty and red card!" The report continues: "Massive talking point just before final whistle: When Volland beat Martinez to the ball to head into an empty net Bayern defender used his arm to block the ball… Volland after seeing the TV coverage: 'I didn't notice anything at the time. Now it's clear why the ball didn't go in. A clear penalty. A clear red card.' Bayern keeper Neuer admits:' We couldn't have complained if the penalty had been given.' According to Sky, the referee Fritz apologised to the Leverkusen coach Schmidt… Sporting director Völler:' If you want to get a result at Bayern then everybody has to play their part – including referees and assistants.'"

The Express also sees the failure to award a penalty as decisive under the headline: "Penalty decision robs Bayer of a deserved point." The report goes on to quote Bayer 04 CEO Michael Schade: 'That was incredible. The assistant must have seen the handball. He clearly had the best view.'" It continues: "Instead of taking a not undeserved point from the Arena, the young Bayer team are left unrewarded for a committed performance.' We can be a bit proud. The incident with Martinez was difficult for the referee to see,' said coach Roger Schmidt. His team showed great resolve and levelled following Thiago's headed opener with a wonder goal from Hakan Calhanoglu after a great one-two with Julian Brandt. Even after the defending champions regained the lead, with the first Bundesliga goal from Mats Hummels since his return to Munich, Bayer remained courageous but Leverkusen were robbed of their just deserts."

The online edition of the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports: "Losers are not usually praised as much as Bayer 04 Leverkusen were after the 2-1 defeat in the Bundesliga match in Munich on Saturday night. Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said the Werkself produce a strong performance – as did the Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti… Bayer 04 Leverkusen produced a good, confident display in front of 75,000 fans at the Allianz Arena. The Werkself even had the upper hand for much of the first half and impressed with the solid team performance….The Bayer pros really deserve sympathy after this match. Their play was attractive and their commitment was phenomenal. They did little wrong."

The online edition of the Rheinische Post describes the Werkself performance as follows: "Leverkusen kept on finding space. FC Bayern looked, at times, like a hunter on a high stand whose binoculars are misted over… The Werkself, including the 17-year-old youngster Kai Havertz, had a good plan: Roger Schmidt's team did not give an inch and were direct in counter-attacks and solid in challenges.

And finally, the Kicker reports: "There was almost nothing left for the Werkself except praise… A deserved point could have been earned in the top match if referee Marco Fritz had not denied Leverkusen a clear penalty. Bayern and Bayer really were in a top match on Saturday night. Both teams were on an even footing, creating chances and standing out with assurance in possession as well as technical ability. Above all, Kevin Kampl impressed with a lot of clever passes and the Toprak replacement Aleksandar Dragovic and Jonathan Tah were solid at the heart of defence as they succeeded in keeping Robert Lewandowski in check.