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Getafe force a draw at below-par Bayern
MUNICH, Germany (AFP) - Getafe's substitute defender Cosmin Contra hit a 90th minute equaliser as the Spanish side forced a well-earned 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich to seize the initiative in the UEFA Cup quarter-final, first leg tie.
Bayern striker Luca Toni had earlier put his side in the driving seat with a first-half goal, but the German giants were punished for their lack of finishing as the La Liga side grabbed a late equaliser.
"The 1-1 draw is a bad result for us, if you don't take your chances then you get punished," said Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.
"We could - and should - have had one or two extra goals and we had lots of chances to counter-attack, but we couldn't get the 2-0 lead. So we can't really be surprised when we got punished."
Romanian defender Contra chipped Bayern captain and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn with extra time approaching and the Munich side now have their work cut out next week in Spain to keep alive their dream of lifting three trophies this season.
Danish coach Michael Laudrup's Getafe side had already exceeded expectations by reaching the last eight and now have it all to play for back at Madrid's Coliseum Alfonso Perez next Thursday.
But Bayern own only have their own poor finishing and defending to blame. Toni gave his side a 26th minute lead when he rose highest in the Getafe penalty area to head in Bastian Schweinsteiger's right-wing corner.
The goal, his eighth in the UEFA Cup this season, draws the Italian level with Pavel Pogrebnyak, who scored for FC Zenit St Petersburg in their 4-1 hammering of Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the evening.
It was the Italian World Cup winner's 27th goal for Bayern in all competitions, but it proved to be an unconvincing performance by the Munich side who managed just 5 shots on target in 24 attempts over 90 minutes.
The Bundesliga league leaders rested Germany striker Miroslav Klose ahead of their Bundesliga clash with VfL Bochum on Sunday, but fielded stars striker Lukas Podolski, plus midfielders Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
All three went close with chances in the second-half as the home side tried to extend their lead, but it was the Spanish who forced the draw with time running out.
The chain of mistakes began as the Munich defence allowed Getafe to pour forward and Contra lifted his shot over Kahn to give his side a fighting chance of making the semi-finals.
The second-leg will be played next Thursday and the winner over the two games will play either Zenit St Petersburg or Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-final.
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