27.10.2018 20:51 h

Hertha draw 'feels like a defeat', says Dortmund's Goetze

Germany midfielder Mario Goetze admitted Borussia Dortmund's 2-2 draw at home to Hertha Berlin on Saturday felt "like a defeat" after the Bundesliga leaders conceded a stoppage-time equaliser.

English teenager Jadon Sancho netted either side of half-time as Dortmund were heading for a seventh straight win in all competitions until Salomon Kalou converted a 91st-minute penalty to share the points at Signal Iduna Park.

"If you look at the way the game went, it definitely feels like a defeat. It feels like we lost the two points," admitted Goetze, whose superb final pass set up Sancho for Dortmund's opening goal on 27 minutes.

"Of course, we didn't finish the chances we had in the second half.

"We work as a team, but for the first time it didn't work and we weren't efficient with our chances."

Dortmund were punished for living dangerously late on when defender Dan-Axel Zagadou brought down Hertha forward Davie Selke in the area for the spot-kick which Kalou converted.

"We had planned something special, but the bravery was missing to see it through," said Hertha coach Pal Dardai.

"The first 20 minutes weren't okay," he added. "But things were better after we conceded the first goal.

"We invested a lot and definitely wanted the point, so you can say it was deserved."

With Bayern Munich now just two points behind in second place, Dortmund's next home league match -- against Munich in a fortnight -- is shaping up to be a top-of-the-table showdown.

Meanwhile in Mainz, goals by Leon Goretzka and Thiago Alcantara sealed Bayern's 2-1 win at Mainz which lifted them from fourth in the table.

Bayern have won three games in seven days since ending a four-match winless streak last Saturday.

Head coach Niko Kovac welcomed the three points, but he was unhappy with how Bayern leaked a goal by Jean-Paul Boetius three minutes into the second half.

"I was angry that we did not do what we discussed during the half-time break," said Kovac.

"We wanted to make our mark immediately and not let anything happen.

"Then we were asleep for the cross, that annoyed me, because we put ourselves in trouble.

"The fact that the team managed to get the second goal pleased me."

Bayern forward Thomas Mueller, who started on the right wing after two games on the bench, admitted there is still room for improvement.

"We had clearly more chances, but at the end it was only 2-1 and we can live with that," said Mueller, who replaced the suspended Arjen Robben in the starting line-up.

"We aren't flying through the league and our games and we aren't in a position to be able to complain about wins."