Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Bayern Munich
This is a Der Klassiker match to remember.
This game was seen to be a tight one, and the SBOBET Bundesliga market can’t pick a sure winner. Even our Bundesliga piece couldn’t really separate the two German football giants apart.
For the away fans, this was supposed to be their statement game as they have been inconsistent as of late. However, Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus had other plans as they dragged Niko Kovac’s team through the rain-drenched pitch of the Signal Iduna Park.
This is a deserved win for the BVB.
Highlights of the game
Niko Kovac made the curious decision to not use James Rodriguez for the match. The Colombia international, who is the fifth-best player in the side according to the ratings, would have helped with piercing the usually strong Dortmund midfield open.
However, the Bayern XI would have to make do with what they have and somehow find a way to connect the football to Robert Lewandowski. They spent the first minutes running the ball through Franck Ribery, but the Frenchman wasn’t able to find his Polish ace amongst the tall Borussia defenders.
Dortmund weren’t letting up on the attack as well as Marco Reus had a scoring chance in the tenth minute. The captain received a precise pass inside the box and took the shot early. The ball was flying towards the goal, but national team stopper Manuel Neuer was there to cover for him.
The two sides continued to trade blows, and fans can feel the electricity at the Signal Iduna Park rising. Both teams are aggressively attacking, a goal could be smelled from a mile away. They feel that this high-intensity match would produce goals.
And that’s exactly what Robert Lewandowski delivered when he scored in the 26th minute. The Bavarians were able to get to get the ball back in Dortmund’s own half, and Serge Gnabry immediately fired a cross into the box. Lewandowski masterfully left the young Dan-Axel Zagadou in the dust to head the ball past Marwin Hitz. The small gallery of Bayern fans erupted into loud cheers deserving of a club of such stature.
The rest of the first half went the way of Bayer. Ribery was almost about to make it two goals in the 33rd minute, but Hitz pulled off an incredible save to deny Bayern’s own Napoleon of the wings. The content of the rest of the half was obviously in Bayern’s favour as well: the BVB can’t help but panic as they were constantly pressed by Bayern shirts for the possession of the football.
The Yellow Wall of the Signal Iduna Park, however, was far from scared with the current flow of the game when the first half ended. The Dortmund defence has been leaky from time to time, but Lucien Favre has been able to turn games around with the side’s outstanding attacking scheme.
The adjustments the Swiss tactician made immediately turned to goals when he made a rough tackle on Marco Reus. The referee immediately pointed to the spot, and the captain took the football. He made a superb penalty as he sent Neuer the other way for the penalty.
The live Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich odds took another turn when Lewandowski scored again. A quick scuffle at the right side of the penalty box saw Joshua Kimmich alone with the ball. He lobbed the ball to Lewandowski, and the Pole would not miss from such a distance.
There is a bit of controversy for this goal for there are calls that Kimmich was actually offside when he got the ball. Zagadou was out of the pitch when he got the football. However, Favre didn’t challenge for a VAR, and the goal stood.
However, the game got into higher gear when Favre called for Paco Alcacer to take his spot up front. Many are looking forward to the battle of the strikers as both Lewandowski and Alcacer have flourished through the first ten Bundesliga fixtures.
However, it was the Dortmund captain who scored again for the BVB. The build-up to the goal was slow, but Lukasz Piszczek’s cross went straight to Reus’ feet. The open Reus trusted his guts and fired the half-volley towards the goal. The ball curled enough to escape Neuer’s outstretched hands. It was truly a world-class goal.
Fans who were eager for more Alcacer magic didn’t have to wait long after Reus’ brace. The Dortmund defence were quick to dispossess the football from Ribery and mounted a counter on the right wing. Axel Witsel unleashed a beautiful through pass to the open Alcacer, who ran all the way to the goal. He made Neuer stutter a bit before tricking him for the winner.
The action didn’t stop there, however, as both teams were still trying to score. Fans home and away were thrilled with the showcase being made. Robert Lewandowski’s third header at the literal end of the match was disallowed because Dortmund brilliantly caught him offside.
With the many Bundesliga 2018 highlights available from this match, I don’t think fans will stop buzzing about this for some time.
Key statistics
Bayern Munich had 57% of the possession throughout the game, but the clear lack of a creative figure in the middle didn’t help them out that much. The heavy reliance of Niko Kovac’s side on wing play resulted in only nine goal attempts and three on-target shots. While Dortmund weren’t able to do any better with their 11 goal attempts, at least five were on target.
This edition of Der Klassiker was a very physical one, as three players from each side managed to get carded. Dortmund were the slightly better defensive team as they made 21 tackles to Bayern’s 19.
What’s next?
Bayern would have to come to terms with the fact that they aren’t as strong as they used to be. Kovac needs to either start James against Dusseldorf or do something drastic to get them back on the consistent road again.
In the meantime, the result is a huge pick-me-up for the BVB after a stinging defeat in the Champions League. They still need to focus against Mainz after the international break if they want to keep things going.
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