What a statement: After the cup disgrace in Saarbrücken, FC Bayern has made an impressive comeback. And that against Borussia Dortmund of all places. Munich’s fast-paced offensive rushes mercilessly past the weak BVB.
What happened in the old Westfalenstadion?
The door was wide open, said expert Dietmar Hamann in recent days, and BVB just had to go through in the top game of the Bundesliga against FC Bayern. But it’s not that simple. Borussia Dortmund has a pronounced panic about open doors. At the end of May it was so big that the first championship since 2012 had been squandered. And this Saturday evening it was hardly better. With a clatter, the Black and Yellows confronted their knocked-out opponent and they immediately struck.
The Dortmunders stood in the arena without any cover and the angry Bayern drummed like savages. As if nothing had happened, FC Bayern regained its self-image of being the best team in the country. In the end there was a highly deserved 4-0 (2-0) win. Puzzle king Thomas Tuchel, ex-coach of BVB and current coach of FC Bayern, fished out from his mini-setter box, i.e. small squads that were badly hit by injuries and suspensions, exactly those who corrected the situation in German football. At least in this classic. Because there is still Bayer Leverkusen, who remain at the top of the table after this 10th matchday, two points ahead of Munich.
And how did it happen?
Tuchel surprised with his formation. At least a bit. Leon Goretzka and Dayot Upamecano, both of whom were injured, started and were instrumental in the power start. The central defender scored with a header from a corner after four minutes and helped keep things close at the back. Goretzka became boss in the absence of driver Joshua Kimmich. And filled the role like a boss. The team played with an aggressiveness that was exemplified by the coach on the sidelines. Shortly before half-time he was shown a yellow card because he kept complaining.
Thomas Müller, the leader who publicly shamed his fleeing teammates after the cup debacle at 1. FC Saarbrücken, was once again just sitting on the bench. The role of the noble joker has been discussed more and more frequently in recent weeks. Tuchel also admitted that it was becoming increasingly difficult to moderate this situation. He came on in the 89th minute and was celebrated. Thanks from the fans for his star criticism. But if things go like they did this Saturday evening, then Tuchel has all the arguments on his side. The offensive around Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and the phenomenal Harry Kane, who have been in good form for weeks, with a hat trick and his league goals 13 to 15, crushed BVB.
That was ICE versus S-Bahn. This was Concorde versus gliders. That was Formula 1 racing against Smart. That was just too fast for the hosts, who were constantly singing forward, but in the end negative feelings returned had to process. Not as bitter as at the end of May, of course, but the season is still too long for that. But it is and remains the eternal story: the dwarf from the West breaks his legs too often against the giant from the south.
Teams & Goals
Gates: 0:1 Upamecano (4th), 0:2 Kane (9th), 0:3 Kane (72nd), 0:4 Kane (90th+3)
Dortmund: Kobel – Wolf (46th Süle), Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson – Sabitzer, Özcan (57th Nmecha) – Reus, Brandt (66th Moukoko), Malen (57th Adeyemi) – Füllkrug (79th Haller); Coach: Terzic
Munich: Neuer – Mazraoui, Upamecano (60th Pavlovic), Kim, Davies – Laimer, Goretzka – Coman, Musiala (89th Choupo-Moting), Sane (89th Müller) – Kane. – Coach: Tuchel
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (Oberasbach)
Viewers: 81,365 (sold out)
The goals in the feature film
4th minute, TOOOOOR for FC Bayern, 1-0 Upamecano: What a start for the record champions: After a corner from Leroy Sané, Dayot Upamecano cleverly breaks away from his man markers Nico Schlotterbeck and Mats Hummels and heads in easily and casually from six meters.
9th minute, TOOOOOR for FC Bayern, 2-0 Kane: Oh dear BVB! Because Sané Hummels was running on the right side, the former Schalke player was able to cross the ball to Harry Kane in the penalty area in front of the out-rushing goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who only had to push in in front of the empty goal. Anger Tuchel’s Anger Bayern overrun BVB.
72nd minute, GOOOOOOR for FC Bayern, 3-0 Kane: First, Musiala and Coman play a nice one-two in the second third. After another fine pass from Kingsley Coman from the right wing, Kane appears free in front of Kobel and does what he is supposed to do as a mega transfer: score another goal.
93rd minute, GOOOOOOR for FC Bayern, 4-0 Kane: After a catastrophic defensive mistake by Niklas Süle, the ball ends up at Aleksandar Pavlović, who only has to chip forward to the goal getter and thus pick up his first Bundesliga assist. Because Kane naturally stays cool in front of Kobel.
What was good?
Wow, what a first half for FC Bayern. As if nothing had happened, no cup embarrassment, no fan anger, the record champions marched into the Westfalenstadion and declared the electrified arena part of Munich after less than ten minutes. Leroy Sané, Harry Kane and Co. thundered over BVB at supersonic speed. To be experienced in perfection at 2-0.
If the textbook needs instructions on how to play a perfect counterattack, the 9th minute provided one. Sané casually took off with his heel, the outstanding Goretzka pushed himself and the ball forward, sent Sané deep, who easily hung Hummels off, pushed it into the middle and inside. It was like rabbits racing against snails.
After that, Bayern slowed down and controlled the game. They haven’t always been able to do that this season. It was often the individual class that brought Munich victory. This time it was the collective that performed brilliantly and was excellently guided by Goretzka. The international, who is fighting for his value at FC Bayern and the national team, almost scored a dream goal, but his overhead kick (36th) sailed just over Kobel’s goal. It was, without any ifs or buts, the best game of the season, perhaps even the best game of the Tuchel era at FC Bayern.
What wasn’t good?
How mature had Borussia Dortmund played in the past few weeks? The weak games at the beginning of the season were followed by very mature performances. The best perhaps just a week and a half ago, when there was a robust win in Newcastle (1-0). But the Black and Yellows were unable to develop the strength for the classic from this self-confidence. At least not in the first 45 minutes. Too slow, too erratic, too scared.
Salih Özcan in particular had a bad evening. He was no longer the stabilizer that he had been in previous games. He was almost always late, and it was almost always dangerous when he was outplayed. Marius Wolf also had nothing to counter on the right side of defense when Bayern’s fixed wingers came rushing in. In the 36th minute he was booed by his own fans when he simply let Sané do it and refused the close challenge.
And Niclas Füllkrug? Standing on the pitch, you don’t need to know anything more about the national striker’s performance. Coach Edin Terzic will have to ask himself why he didn’t call up strong players like Felix Nmecha or Youssoufa Moukoko from the start.
Everything is all right again?
Yes, at least from Dietmar Hamann’s point of view. FC Bayern’s homegrown team has been at the top of the chief critics for years and has been really hot in recent weeks. Tuchel thought he had gotten out of hand. Hamann was not impressed by this and continued to take the record champions apart. He sees no development, especially no further development. The Bayern coach took this as an opportunity to simply turn the allegations around. A verbal duel like a soap opera. Further, ever further.
But now Hamann smashed the stop sign into the grass immediately before the big game. He moderated the week-long exchange of blows with confidence: “I found what he said yesterday very funny and amusing. That’s just part of it. This culture of argument or discussion is something that has always distinguished us and that we are gradually losing through social media. That’s why I’m the last person to feel treated unfairly.” Is everything okay again? For the expert, yes, but apparently not for Tuchel.
“I don’t want to bother you when the experts talk about us,” he said shortly before kick-off in an interview with Sky reporter Patrick Wasserziehr. The 50-year-old was initially curt and asked: “I’d be happy to ask you the next question.” Wasserziehr’s objection about what had bothered him was followed by: “Nothing, everything’s fine.” So yes? Oh well.
After the game, Tuchel escalated things again, as you can read here!
Voices about the game
Gregor Kobel (BVB goalkeeper): “I had the feeling that Bayern were simply more aggressive in the duels. They were more dangerous. Why? Hard to say. The better team won, clearly.”
Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern goalkeeper): “It was very bitter the way we played football during the week, but today we showed the right side of ourselves. We have fast people in the attack, with whom we hurt Dortmund a lot.”