Bayern's show of strength in Dortmund - BVB left behind
A classic ending to the Bundesliga classic: FC Bayern clearly put Borussia Dortmund in their place three days after their embarrassing cup exit. In the 4:0 (2:0) win by the Munich side, BVB were once again not on a par with the record champions.
The Bavarians, who were scolded after their 2-1 defeat at third-division side 1. FC Saarbrücken, benefited from hair-raising defensive errors by Dortmund, who are now seven points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen and have lost touch with the leaders for the time being.
Kane with 15 goals in his first ten games
Goals from Dayot Upamecano (4th minute) and Harry Kane (9th/72nd/90th+3) secured Bayern's tenth win in their last eleven competitive matches against the Westphalians. Kane became the first Bundesliga player to score 15 goals in his first ten games. BVB's last win against FCB was almost exactly five years ago.
Just like seven months ago, when Munich showed a strong reaction with a 4-2 win over Dortmund following the departure of Julian Nagelsmann, this was another immensely important victory. Tuchel's team remain two points behind Leverkusen in second place.
Upamecano scores after 183 seconds to make it 1:0
As is so often the case when Bayern are under pressure, they showed all their class. All the explosiveness of this clash, all the pressure on the visitors, seemed to be gone early on in the game. After just 183 seconds, Bayern central defender Upamecano easily headed a corner from Leroy Sané into the net. National defender Nico Schlotterbeck and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who was strong later in the game and remained on the line, refused to defend.
Upamecano had only returned to Munich training this week. Just six minutes later, Bayern's new goalscorer Kane also experienced his own special moment of success in this special duel. The 100-million-euro man pushed a Sané assist over the line for his first goal. In a running duel, Sané (27) sprinted away from Mats Hummels, seven years his senior, in front of the eyes of Nagelsmann, who has since been appointed national coach.
Suddenly the criticism of Tuchel, who had been suspended as Dortmund's cup-winning coach in 2017, for seemingly not taking Bayern any further than Nagelsmann seemed forgotten. The discussions about Bayern's personnel problems, who had started the season with a very small squad, also seemed to be forgotten. Upamecano and Leon Goretzka (with a splint on his arm) were fit again in time to replace the suspended Joshua Kimmich and the knee-injured Matthijs de Ligt.
Qualitative differences unmistakable
In view of the excellent Bayern bench in Dortmund, which included Serge Gnabry, Thomas Müller and Mathys Tel, the discussions of the past few days and weeks resembled a sham debate anyway. Dortmund fought their way back into the game after going 2-0 down, but there were clear differences in quality in favor of the Bayern players. BVB only had their first chance to score in stoppage time of the first half through Donyell Malen.
Anyone hoping for a reaction from the Westphalians after the break was bitterly disappointed. Even with ex-Bayern professional Niklas Süle now substituted in defense, the BVB defense invited Bayern to create big chances. Nevertheless, coach Edin Terzic's team tried everything in their power until the end. Once again, it was not enough in the duel with Bayern.
In the 72nd minute, England international striker Kane finally decided the game with his 14th goal of the season, causing the entire Munich squad on the pitch to cheer unleashed - an indication of the huge pressure Bayern had been under. The star striker's next goal made the evening even more bitter for BVB.
Despite Borussia Dortmund's efforts, they struggled to keep up with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, losing 4-0 and falling further behind in the league standings. This was a stark contrast to Bayern's dominant performance, with Harry Kane scoring three times and Dayot Upamecano opening the scoring with an early header.
In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund has yet to find an answer to Bayern Munich's strength, as evidenced by their recent 4-0 defeat. With Kane scoring his 15th goal in just ten games, Bayern continues to dominate the league and maintain their position as the record champions.
Source: www.dpa.com
