It was the weekend that many football fans had hotly anticipated. Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munch did battle once again at the Signa Iduna Park. As usual, the battle had great significance towards the summit of the Bundesliga. Many were hoping for a repeat of the Super Cup encounter a few weeks back, where Bayern won 3-2 in Munich.
Despite the hosts taking the lead through Marco Reus, Hansi Flick’s side would soon respond. Goals from David Alaba and Robert Lewandowski either side of half-time put the away side into the ascendancy.
With Dortmund pressing, Leroy Sane managed to add to the scoreline to make it 3-1. Erling Haaland scored consolation for Dortmund late on, however Bayern would survive some late pressure. But what made yet another battle between these German giants a classic tactical battle and how did Bayern prevail once again?
The targeting of Dortmund’s right-side
The pair of Lucas Hernandez and Serge Gnabry caused all sorts of problems. Dortmund just couldn’t cope with such a threat, Hernandez was able to bomb forward as a result of Jason Sancho struggling to track back. Thomas Meunier may be a very reliable player, however he lacks pace. Dealing with Gnabry proved too much for the Belgian international.
Dortmund were given several let-offs in the opening stages by Bayern. Lewandowski missed a chance in the opening thirty seconds and also had a goal disallowed. But the danger was there.
Despite an onslaught on that side, Bayern would be rewarded for their efforts moments into the second half. Hernandez was offered far too much time to make a cross by Meunier, The French left-back picked out a delighted pass for Lewandowski, who headed beautifully to make the scoreline 2-1 to the away side.
The High-line of Bayern
It can be said that the champions made the game more entertaining due to their style. The likes of Reyna, Sancho and Haaland all looked a threat going forward due to the positions in which the Bayern defenders left themselves in.
The hosts had many opportunities to create chances at the goal of Manuel Neuer. On any other day, Haaland could’ve had a hat-trick but the Norwegian striker. The high-line also led to the injury of Joshua Kimmich, who was taken off after trying to stop a Dortmund counter.
With the scoreline at 3-1 to the away side, you would’ve expected Bayern to close the game out safely. But the persistence of the high-line led to Haaland beating the offside trap and slotting home. It can be argued that it led to a very nervy end for Bayern, who could’ve dropped valuable points in Dortmund.
It was once again a classic encounter between the two sides. With the international break now approaching, it will be interesting to see how they both respond as the German title race already looks to be hotting up.