What happened at the old Westfalenstadion?
As if rabbits were playing against snails
The door was wide open, said expert Dietmar Hamann in the past few days, and BVB just had to walk through it in the top match 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 great that the first championship since 2012 had still been missed. And this Saturday evening was hardly any better. The Black & Yellows came out clattering to face their knocked-out opponents and they struck immediately.
Dortmund were left without any cover in the arena and the angry Bavarians were drumming away like savages. As if nothing had happened, FC Bayern regained their self-image of being the best team in the country. The end result was a highly deserved 4:0 (2:0) victory. Puzzle king Thomas Tuchel, ex-coach of BVB and current coach of FC Bayern, picked out exactly those players from his mini-set-up, i.e. a squad shaken by injuries, who set the record straight in German soccer. At least in this classic. After all, there is Bayer Leverkusen, who remain top of the table after matchday 10, two points ahead of Munich.
And how did it happen?
Tuchel surprised everyone with his line-up. At least a little. Leon Goretzka and Dayot Upamecano, who were both injured, started and were instrumental in the power start. The central defender scored with a header after four minutes following a corner and helped to keep things tight at the back. Goretzka became the boss in the absence of the driving force Joshua Kimmich. And felt the role chefig. The team played with an aggression that was exemplified by the coach on the sidelines. Shortly before the break, he received a yellow card for constantly complaining.
Thomas Müller, the leader, who had publicly berated his fleeing teammates after the cup debacle at 1. FC Saarbrücken, once again only sat on the bench. The role of the noble joker had been increasingly discussed 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. A thank you from the fans for his star truffle. But when things go the way they did on Saturday evening, Tuchel has all the arguments on his side. The offense around Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and the phenomenal Harry Kane with a hat-trick and his league goals 13 to 15 crushed BVB.
It was ICE against S-Bahn. It was Concorde against gliders. It was Formula 1 racing cars against Smart cars. It was simply too fast for the hosts, who were constantly sung to the front, but in the end had to deal with negative feelings again. Not as bitter as at the end of May, of course, the season is still too long for that. But it is and remains the eternal story: the dwarf from the west breaks its legs too often against the giant from the south.
Teams & Goals
Goals: 0:1 Upamecano (4.), 0:2 Kane (9.), 0:3 Kane (72.), 0:4 Kane (90.+3)Dortmund: Kobel - Wolf (46. Süle), Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson - Sabitzer, Özcan (57. Nmecha) - Reus, Brandt (66. Moukoko), Malen (57. Adeyemi) - Füllkrug (79. Haller); Coach: Terzić Munich: Neuer - Mazraoui, Upamecano (60. Pavlovic), Kim, Davies - Laimer, Goretzka - Coman, Musiala (89. Choupo-Moting), Sane (89. Müller) - Kane. - Coach: Tuchel Referee: Deniz Aytekin (Oberasbach)Spectators: 81,365 (sold out)
The goals in the match 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-coverers Nico Schlotterbeck and Mats Hummels and heads in easily and casually from six meters.
9th minute, TOOOOOR for FC Bayern, 2:0 Kane: Ojemine BVB! As Sané gives Hummels the run of play on the right, the former Schalke player is able to cross for Harry Kane in front of the onrushing goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who only has to slot home in front of the empty goal. Wut-Tuchel's Wut-Bayern overrun BVB.
72nd minute, TOOOOOR for FC Bayern, 3:0 Kane: First Musiala and Coman play a beautiful one-two in the second period. After another fine pass from Kingsley Coman from the right wing, Kane pops up free in front of Kobel and does what he is supposed to do qua mega-delivery: score another goal.
93rd minute, TOOOOOR for FC Bayern, 4:0 Kane: After a catastrophic defensive error by Niklas Süle, the ball ends up with Aleksandar Pavlović, who only has to tip the ball forward to the goalscorer to pick up his first Bundesliga assist. Kane, of course, keeps his cool in front of Kobel.
What was good?
Wow, what a first half from FC Bayern. As if nothing had happened, no cup defeat, no fan trouble, the record champions miasanmed into the Westfalenstadion and declared the electrified arena to be Munich country 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 once again needed instructions on how to play a perfect counter-attack, the 9th minute provided one. Sané casually laid off with his heel, the outstanding Goretzka bundled himself and the ball forward, sent Sané deep, who easily outpaced Hummels, pushed into the middle and slotted home. It was like rabbits running against snails.
After that, Bayern slowed the tempo and controlled the game. They hadn't always managed that this season. It was often individual class that won the game for Munich. This time, it was the collective that performed brilliantly and was superbly guided by Goretzka. The international, who is struggling to maintain his value at FC Bayern and with the national team, almost scored another dream goal, but his overhead kick (36') sailed just over Kobel's box. It was, without ifs and buts, the best game of the season, perhaps even the best game of the Tuchel era at FC Bayern.
What wasn't good?
How maturely had Borussia Dortmund played in recent weeks? The weak games at the start of the season were followed by very mature performances. Perhaps the best was just a week and a half ago, when they recorded a robust win at Newcastle (1:0). But the Black & Yellows were unable to draw any strength from this confidence for the classic. At least not in the first 45 minutes. Too slow, too hesitant, too anxious.
Salih Özcan in particular had a poor evening. He was no longer the stabilizer he had been in previous games. He was almost always late, almost always dangerous when he was outplayed. Marius Wolf also had nothing to offer on the right-hand side of defense when Bayern's fast wingers came rushing in. In the 36th minute, he was booed by his own fans when he simply let Sané get on with it and refused to engage in a close duel.
And Niclas Füllkrug? Standing on the pitch, that's all you need to know about the international striker's performance. Coach Edin Terzic will have to ask himself why he didn't start players like Felix Nmecha or Youssoufa Moukoko from the beginning.
All good again?
Yes, at least from Dietmar Hamann's point of view. The home-grown FC Bayern player has been at the top of the list of chief critics for years and has been on fire in recent weeks. Tuchel felt he had gone off the rails. Hamann was not impressed and continued to pick the record champions apart. He did not see any development, let alone further development. The Bayern coach took this as an opportunity to simply turn the accusations around. A verbal duel like a soap opera. Onwards and upwards.
Now, however, Hamann put the stop sign on the pitch immediately before the top match. He confidently moderated the weeks-long exchange of blows: That's why I'm the last person to feel unfairly treated." All good again? For the expert, yes, but apparently not for Tuchel.
"I don't want to disturb 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, demanding: "I'll be happy to answer the next question." Wasserziehr's objection as to what had bothered him was followed by: "Nothing, everything's fine." So it was? Well, yes.
Comments on the game
Gregor Kobel (BVB goalkeeper): "I had the feeling that Bayern were simply more aggressive in tackles. They were more dangerous. Why? It's difficult to say. The better team won, quite clearly."Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern goalkeeper): "It was very bitter the way we played soccer during the week, but today we showed the right side of ourselves. We have fast players in attack and we really hurt Dortmund with them."
- Despite being without key players, FC Bayern Munich managed to dominate the Soccer Bundesliga match against Borussia Dortmund, with Thomas Tuchel strategically placing Leon Goretzka and Dayot Upamecano in the starting lineup.
- Edin Terzic, the coach of Dortmund, mentioned that Thomas Müller, a leader and notable figure in the team, was left on the bench against his former club, as Tuchel faced the challenge of moderating Müller's role within the squad.
- The Soccer Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich showcased a significant disparity in play, as FC Bayern's speed and aggressive tackling from stars such as Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala, and Harry Kane left Dortmund's defense in disarray.
Source: www.ntv.de
