Der Klassiker bragging rights go to Bayern Munich once again, as the Bavarians beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday afternoon.
A frantic contest throughout, the home side opened the scoring through Marco Reus in the 45th minute before David Alaba equalized moments later. Robert Lewandowski headed home to start the second half, and Leroy Sane came off the bench to score the clinching goal on the counter. Erling Haaland pulled one back late on, but it was too little too late as Munich held on to secure the big victory.
Story of the match
The game took no time to kick into high gear, as both teams came close in the early moments.
Munich thought they had opened the scoring midway through the first half, as Serge Gnabry picked out Robert Lewandowski for an easy tap in. However, a VAR review deemed the forward to have been offside when the pass was played. It was probably the right call, but it was certainly close.
Dortmund took the lead with minutes to go in the half. After some clever build up play, Raphael Guerreiro found space on the left wing before hitting a low cross into the area. He found Marco Reus, who made no mistake with the finish, slamming a shot off the underside of the ball and into the back of the net.
The home side couldn’t hold on to their advantage for long, though, as Bayern equalized moments later. A well worked free kick routine led to an attempt from David Alaba, and his effort deflected off Thomas Meunier and into the side netting right before the break.
The Bavarians would grab their second right at the start of the second half. Lucas Hernandez whipped in a superb cross, and the header from Robert Lewandowski was even better as he guided the ball into the bottom corner.
It was nearly three minutes later, as Kingsley Coman was given too much space in the final third. However, his shot from distance only hit the post before bouncing away from danger.
Substitute Leroy Sane would put the game to bed with 10 minutes to go. It was a ruthless counter attacking move from the away side, and the German international finished it off in style, cutting inside before curling a shot into the corner. It’s like Arjen Robben never left.
Dortmund responded very well, with Erling Haaland finally getting his goal soon after. Sneaking in behind the backline, he got on the end of a ball played over the top before rounding Manuel Neuer and poking home from close range.
They sent numbers forward in search of a late equalizer, but Munich held on to secure the win and all three points.
Takeaways
Same old story for Dortmund
This game was peak Dortmund.
They played well throughout, creating tons of chances against the reigning European champions. BVB came into the contest with a plan, hitting on the counter with pace and power time and time again.
However, they were still on the losing end. Dortmund didn’t finish off enough of their chances, and were quite wasteful in the final third. Some shots flew wide, while others were hit right at Manuel Neuer.
They could have made a real statement with a win on the night, but instead, BVB showed their true colors once again. Games like this prove they’re still not genuine title contenders.
Brutal Bayern
On the other hand, Munich showed just how clinical they are in the biggest moments.
Far from dominant, they still did enough to get all three points. Scoring at the most important times, the Bavarians did not let any opportunities slip through their fingers.
That ruthlessness is why they have been so good for so very long, and they seem even better under manager Hansi Flick. This result probably clinches yet another Bundesliga trophy for Munich, and they’re also favorites in terms of the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Champions League.
There’s a good chance the Bavarians can do the treble for a second straight season.
Man of the match - Robert Lewandowski
He was always going to score, wasn’t he?
Robert Lewandowski has haunted his former side every single time he has come up against them since leaving in 2014, and he did just that once again.
His header early on in the second half gave Munich the lead, and his side never looked back following that moment of magic. Lewandowski could have had two more goals as well, but he was narrowly called offside on both occasions.
He still did enough to clinch the win for his team, assisting Leroy Sane’s goal that clinched the result for Bayern.
It was Lewandowski at his best, and he’s simply unstoppable when in this form.