Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery (L) vies with Ajax's Noussair Mazraoui during the second round match of Group E in the UEFA Champions League between Bayern Munich and Ajax, in Munich, Germany, on Oct. 2, 2018. The match ended with 1-1 draw. (Xinhua/Philippe Ruiz)
BERLIN, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Noussair Mazraoui's equalizer secured Ajax Amsterdam a 1-1 draw from uninspired German giants Bayern Munich in their Champions League's Group E encounter on Tuesday.
For the third time in row Bayern dropped points, as Mats Hummel's early opener wasn't enough to overcome resilient Ajax Amsterdam on home soil.
The "Bavarians" controlled possession from the starting whistle and reaped two chances through Arjen Robben, who tested Amsterdam's goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Bayern's efforts got rewarded moments later when Hummels opened the scoring after nodding home Robben's pinpoint delivery into the box.
The visitors needed 10 minutes to recover from the setback as Dusan Tadic and Hakim Zieyech came to promising opportunities, which forced Bayern custodian Manuel Neuer into action.
Ajax' Tadic remained in the thick of things as he chipped the ball into the path of Mazraoui who beat Neuer with a low shot into the bottom right corner with 22 minutes played.
The leveller has given Erik ten Hag's men confidence while Bayern lost control of the proceedings. Hence, Neuer had to make a diving safe to avoid a setback following Zieyech's long-range hammer before the break.
After the half time, Amsterdam started where they left off and continued to press forward against hapless hosts. Zieyech remained a threat and kept Neuer busy while Donny van Beek squandered the golden chance to grab the lead after missing the open goal from close range in the 73rd minute.
Bayern increased the pressure in the closing period but Onana blocked James Rodriguez' effort to the bar before Thomas Mueller headed over the target moments later.
Ajax had the last opportunity as Neuer had to be on guard to tip Lasse Schoene's free kick to the woodwork in the dying minutes of the game.
"We want to win every home game, but Ajax didn't make it easy today. They were aggressive and came here to play football," Bayern's captain Neuer said.
"We played really well as a team. It's a shame that we couldn't convert one of the chances we had in the second half, but we are still happy with a point," Ajax' captain Matthijs de Ligt said.
With the result, Ajax Amsterdam lead Group E followed by Bayern Munich, SL Benfica and AEK Athens.?
