Union Berlin ends Bayern Munich's record 16-game winning streak with 2-2 draw in Bundesliga

BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich has finally failed to win a game.

Dutch defender Danilho Doekhi struck twice for Union Berlin to hold the Bavarian powerhouse 2-2 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, ending Bayern’s record 16-game winning streak in all competitions to start the season.

“I've been saying all week that we knew it was going to be a fight today,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said.

It could have been worse for his team, but Harry Kane scored in stoppage time to avert a defeat.

“We won a point today. At Bayern you always lose two points when you don't win, but still, the 92nd minute (equalizer), the mentality, (and) Leipzig lost,” Kompany said of Bayern's closest challenger. “So it keeps going, and this record – the only thing that matters for me is that we showed we can win 16 games in a row. Why can't we try it again?”

The result meant Bayern fell one game short of matching its Bundesliga-record 10-game winning start to the league from 2015.

Kompany made just one change to the team that defeated European champion Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Leon Goretzka starting in place of Aleksandar Pavlović.

Ilyas Ansah thought he had opened the scoring for Union on his 21st birthday, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR check for offside.

Union continued to dominate and deservedly went ahead in the 27th when Janik Haberer surprised the Bayern defense with a low corner and Doekhi swept the ball past Manuel Neuer.

But Luis Díaz leveled in the 38th after a slide and turn to keep the ball in play and then surging past Haberer before firing past Frederik Rönnow from a seemingly impossible angle.

Union remained competitive after the break, frustrating Bayern’s stars before Doekhi struck for the home team in the 83rd minute.

Doekhi stopped Kane’s attempted headed clearance with his thigh, then prodded the ball past Neuer to set off wild celebrations around Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

Kane atoned with the late equalizer.

Cologne defender Kristoffer Lund endured a Rhine derby to forget as he conceded two penalties after VAR checks in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 3-1 win.

Marvin Schwäbe saved the first when he denied Haris Tabaković, but Philipp Sander scored after the resulting corner.

Lund was penalized again after the break for an inadvertent hand ball and this time Kevin Diks scored from the spot.

Tabaković scored two minutes later to secure the win and Lund went off shortly afterward.

Luca Waldschmidt got Cologne's consolation with another penalty in stoppage time.

Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time for Hamburger SV to hold Borussia Dortmund 1-1.

Carney Chukwuemeka scored midway through the second half for Dortmund, which had struggled against the promoted team.

Hoffenheim defeated Leipzig 3-1 to end Ole Werner's team's eight-game unbeaten run. Leipzig hadn't lost since a 6-0 rout in Munich on the opening day.

Bayer Leverkusen routed Heidenheim 6-0 with five of those goals in the first half.

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Bayern's Harry Kane reacts besides goalkeeper Manuel Neuer after the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and FC Bayern Munich in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Bayern's Harry Kane reacts after the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and FC Bayern Munich in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Bayern's Lennart Karl, left, Union's Leopold Querfeld challenge for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and FC Bayern Munich in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Union's Alex Kral, foreground, and Bayern's Joshua Kimmich challenge for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and FC Bayern Munich in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Bayern's Luis Diaz celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and FC Bayern Munich in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Union's Danilho Doekhi celebrates with team mates after scoring his side's second goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and FC Bayern Munich in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

TRIKORFO, Greece (AP) — Can a centuries-old ritual of spiritual renewal rekindle a New Year’s resolution to build healthy eating habits before it fades in the spring?

For six weeks every year, millions of Orthodox Christians around the world adopt a largely vegan diet, abstaining from meat, dairy products, eggs, and fish with backbones. Oil and wine also are prohibited on weekdays during the 40-day Lenten period before Orthodox Easter, which often falls later than its Catholic and Anglican counterpart.

The annual adherence to a plant-based, Mediterranean-style meal plan drives a communal rediscovery of vegetables and oil-free cooking methods in majority-Orthodox countries.

In Greece, even McDonald’s franchises get into the lean Lent spirit by adding seasonal menu items that meet most of the proscriptions of the Greek Orthodox Church. The menu includes shrimp wraps, shrimp salad, vegetable spring rolls and plant-based McVeggie burgers but is not oil-free.

Although following Eastern Orthodox dietary guidelines before Easter is often referred to as fasting, the focus is on going without certain foods, not refraining from eating altogether. The rules are not rigid but can be adapted to account for personal needs.

Here’s a look at the annual alimentary tradition, along with reasons to consider sticking with a similar diet and cautionary advice from nutritionists.

Christian traditions diverge between East and West ahead of Easter, and not just in their methods for determining the most important date on their calendars. Catholics are encouraged to give up one or more personal indulgences during Lent but get to decide whether to deny themselves dessert, alcohol, video games, swearing or something else. Members of the Orthodox Church forgo animal products except for shellfish.

Gone are Greeks' beloved dishes like mousaka and souvlakia — grilled meat wrapped with toppings. So are dairy products like milk and cheese. Vertebrate fish like anchovies, mullet and hake are no-nos too, although shrimp, oysters and calamari are permitted.

On a lush coastal hillside in central Greece, 40 monks closely follow these rules at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim. The monks, who wear black robes and full beards, grow and harvest most of their own produce in the monastery's gardens, including an abudance of zucchini and tomatoes.

Their meals during Lent are basic but not bland. The monks have mastered methods to replicate familiar tastes and textures. Oven-roasted potatoes are coated with tahini instead of oil to preserve the crunch factor. Vegetable stock prepared from scratch gives lentil dishes a hearty flavor.

The monks listen to prayers read aloud as they eat.

Father Nektarios Moulatsiotis, the monastery's affable abbot, says the practice of fasting and following a restricted diet is essential for deep reflection and focus required for the spiritual preparation for Easter. He compares it to endurance training.

“In the same way someone goes to the gym to shape their body," Nektarios said, "the church is a gym for the soul.”

Occasional hunger pangs aren't something to resist; they are part of the plan. The idea is simple: less indulgence, more clarity.

“You cannot really pray, study, chant or do any spiritual exercise with a full stomach,” he said with a chuckle.

Nektarios argues that a nutritious yet disciplined diet can produce benefits that apply outside of a religious setting as much as inside of one, such as a sense of greater self-control and enhanced awareness.

Orthodox monks observe several fasting periods that limit what, when and how much they eat for most of the year. Researchers have studied their health and food intake for decades to determine if their customs hold any clues to preventing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and strokes.

However, the advantages of eating a balanced diet that includes whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes are well-established. Reduce consumption of meat, saturated fats and processed foods long enough, and the body typically responds.

“Fasting certainly has benefits, provided it’s done correctly,” Eirini Babaroutsi, a sports nutritionist at the Hellenic Athletics Federation, said. For example, Orthodox Christians tend to eat more fiber during Lent, which helps the digestive system function better, she said.

“It also matters what we do eat, not simply what we avoid," Babaroutsi said. "With the right combinations, we can get all the nutrients we need.”

Meals that meet the guidelines aren’t confined to the ingredients found in Orthodox-majority countries in Southern and Eastern Europe. Babaroutsi suggests porridge with oat milk, vegetable wraps with olive paste, and high-quality peanut butter as helpful international additions.

There are a few considerations.

A six-week fasting cycle is not advisable for older adults and young children, Babaroutsi said. The Eastern Orthodox church also exempts people with serious health conditions, special dietary requirements, and pregnant or nursing women from strict obedience.

Engaging in a post-Lent binge as a reward also is best avoided because loading up after a period of abstinence can strain the body, Babaroutsi said.

For those wary of making a full commitment, know that you're not alone. Orthodox Lent started on Feb. 23, but many Greeks participate only during Holy Week, which starts on April 5, Palm Sunday, and goes until April 11, the day before Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter this year.

Supermarkets and bakeries in Greece make it easier to abide by stocking fast, family-friendly meals and an assortment of seasonal goods.

These include jars of pickles and olives, bags of chickpeas and other pulses, squid sliced into rings in freezer cases, the creamy pink fish roe known as taramosalata, and slabs of unleavened bread shaped like small surfboards.

In central Athens, at the slippery-floored central fish market, vendors call out over piles of Lent-compliant clams, octopus and mussels, shoveling seafood into paper cones.

Gerasimos Mantalvanos, the market’s general manager, said many customers tend to overindulge when Easter Sunday's traditional lamb dishes and sweets arrive. For most, a spirit of moderation eventually returns, he said.

“It is good for eating habits to change from time to time during the year,” Mantalvanos said. “So a period of fasting, a little fish and some abstinence from meat, I think these are good for the body. It is a kind of small detox, a little break.”

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AP photographer Thanassis Stavrakis and videojournalist Srdjan Nedeljkovic contributed.

Father Seraphim carries a sack of feed for sheep at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A monk tends to plants at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Monks prepare the meals at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A monk prepares meals at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov ahead of Easter as part of annual Lenten dietary restrictions in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Father Isaac serves lentils for the midday meal at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)