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ESPN Bundesliga Top Commentator Derek Rae is hoping that an exciting Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund fight, which drew American viewers on ABC and ESPN + (American fans can watch the replay of the match HERE), will open new eyes on German football. Here’s your instant reaction column.
On the eve of the 104th Bundesliga of a match that has come to be known as The classic, many wondered if it could turn out to be another demolition job. Bayern have done light work with Dortmund in recent league games at the Allianz Arena and the omens were far from positive for the visitors.
The news on Friday that two of BVB’s most effective players, Raphael Guerreiro and Jadon Sancho, had been ruled out, felt a bit like a hammer blow before kicking a ball. Could Dortmund cope, featuring rare starters of late, such as Dan-Axel Zagadou, Nico Schulz and Thorgan Hazard?
With their new look back three, they started off brilliantly, showing life, initiative, verve, and a plan. That was pushing, winning the ball, moving the Bayern players and changing the play quickly.
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When Erling Haaland saw his shot in the second minute find the net with the help of a Jerome Boateng deflection (his first successful Bundesliga goal from outside the area), you could almost feel the question being asked in the world of football. : Was this the day for Dortmund? to get the best out of a shaky Bayern defense? The truth is that Bayern are statistically as weak as they have been on defense since the trouble-torn 1991-92 campaign, when they went through 3 different coaches.
That sentiment only intensified with Haaland’s second goal, finding himself significantly late in a play involving the aforementioned Schulz and Hazard on the left. Bayern had been overloaded on the opposite flank, giving left-back Schulz the freedom of the Allianz Arena. Boateng got caught on the wrong side of the deadly Haaland.
Surprisingly, the Norwegian international had never scored in the first quarter of an hour of any Bundesliga game. Now I had done it twice in The classic. Come to think of it, Dortmund had never before scored twice in the first 10 minutes against Bayern. What the hell was going on?
While on the mic with broadcast partner Taylor Twellman, I couldn’t help but recall a Bayern game that I had commented on for the Bundesliga global broadcast in January. Mainz had galloped to a 2-0 lead only for Bayern to turn it around and something else, posting a 5-2 win. Of course, Dortmund is not Mainz, but Bayern is Bayern.
The truth is that the fluidity of the rest of the game saw Bayern in the lead with the exception of a couple of isolated moments. I wrote in my notepad about 20 minutes “Dortmund looking compact and looking for fast counters.” Marco Reus moved away from Bayern center-back Niklas Sule, and shortly after midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud combined very well with BVB right-back Thomas Meunier. But Bayern were now erasing Haaland.
The tide was about to turn considerably. Schulz made the mistake of giving Leroy Sane too much space and, with his deft footwork, he scored a goal for Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker, top scorer in this match, was just warming up.
A key moment came just before the break. When Dahoud awkwardly entered Kingsley Coman into the box, referee Marco Fritz saw no transgression. But we’ve all learned to say “will be checked” and as quick as a flash, Fritz was on his television monitor for a second look. The more we looked, the more we thought, a kick to the point was inevitable.
Lewandowski’s penalty shootout routine is very much his own: a couple of steps to the side, then that little moment of delayed action before the punch itself. Hertha’s Rune Jarstein recently denied it, but this time he confidently outpointed Marwin Hitz to level the contest.
Perhaps due to that unlikely failure in Berlin, Bayern manager Hansi Flick decided to look away when his star striker took the penalty, relying on acoustics to confirm that he had indeed entered.
It was Lewandowski’s 30th goal of the season, marking the fourth time he has reached that milestone.
In truth it was not more than what Bayern deserved to go to the level of the rest with 2-2. The first two attempts of the match had been goals from Haaland at Dortmund. The next 12 (!) Had all been from Bayern.
As at the beginning of the first half, Dortmund started the second half quite confidently. Again we saw the Schulz-Hazard combination come to the fore with the latter squeezing a shot just off the post.
From then on, Bayern were the team with a lot to say for themselves, particularly on the left side where Coman, one of their best players this season, was a constant threat.
It was a question of whether or not Dortmund could hold the score even as they fell deeper and deeper, too deep as coach Edin Terzic later admitted. Hitz missed a Joshua Kimmich shot that bounced right in front of him, but escaped without a concession.
But Dortmund’s prospects diminished when the Haaland talisman, who had taken a hit earlier, was replaced at the hour mark. In the 77th minute, Terzic had made all five of his substitutions, the last of which saw captain Reus, with just 32 touches in the entire game, give way to young Brazilian Reinier.
Tension levels increased with each passing minute, but the real drama was yet to come. In many ways, it had to be provided by a man who continues to improve.
Leon Goretzka has emerged from the shadows to become one of Bayern’s best. In the comment, when I saw Meunier clear only about him, did I raise it as a question? “Is there a chance for Goretzka, perhaps?” The question was answered. Goal for Bayern. 3-2.
Dortmund disagreed with the goal, feeling that there had been a foul in the preparation. Having checked it over and over again, I didn’t see any crime on Sane’s part in Emre Can and I still haven’t seen it. This was not a clear and obvious mistake.
In good measure, Bayern scored again to seal Lewandowski’s hat trick, taking him to 31 goals on the season and nine from the all-time record of 40 for a single campaign set by the legendary Gerd Muller in 1971-72. .
The defeat was especially bitter for Dortmund, as a two-goal lead turned into a Bundesliga defeat for the first time in more than 25 years. Their qualification prospects for the Champions League remain at stake.
But it cannot be denied that the best team prevailed.
What game. Gripping the tension until very close to the end and confident through the broadcast, we have earned more than a few converts to the Bundesliga cause.
