Junior Adamu’s 21st-minute strike looked enough to give c a famous win - their first, in their first appearance in the Champions League knockout stages.
But a 90th-minute equaliser from Kingsley Coman earned Bayern a draw, and they are now strong favourites for the tie.
Salzburg were easily the better side in a curious first half, end to end but with neither side looking likely to score … until the hosts did, Chukwubuike Adamu - on as sub for the injured Noah Okafor - applying a fine finish to a fine counter.
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So insipid were Bayern and so nauseated was Julian Nagelsmann that an improvement seemed inevitable, and one did come, but it remained feeble.
They ran a bit harder, but lacked the quality and zest to sustain an pressure, and actually came closer to falling further behind, when Adamu’s shot was cleared off the line by Benjamin Pavard.
That may be the key moment in the tie - it felt so at the time, a sense that intensified with Coman’s goal. But Salzburg know they’ve a real chance of progressing, while Bayern looked anything but prospective champions.
Eurosport