ESPN’s top Bundesliga reporter Derek Rae is hoping for Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund’s impressive puzzle, which he asked US viewers on ABC and ESPN + (US fans can replay the game broadcast HERE), opening new eyes to German football. Here is his immediate response column.
In the period up to the 104th Bundesliga edition of fixtures that became known Der Klassiker, many questioned whether it could turn into another demolition operation. Bayern have done light work for Dortmund in recent league meetings at the Allianz Arena and the signs were far from optimistic for the visitors.
The news on Friday that two of BVB ‘s most effective players, Raphael Guerreiro and Jadon Sancho, have been knocked out, feels a bit like a hammer blow before a ball is kicked. Could Dortmund deal, starting recently, as Dan-Axel Zagadou, Nico Schulz and Torgan Hazard?
With their new look back three, they started brilliantly, showing life, enterprise, verve and plan. That was for pushing, winning the ball, moving the Bayern players around and quickly changing the play.
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When Erling Haaland saw his shot in the second minute finding the net with the help of a block from Jerome Boateng (his first successful Bundesliga goal from outside the box), you could hardly notice The question that has been asked around the world of football: Is this the day for Dortmund to get the upper hand over Bayern ‘s defensive line? The fact is that Bayern are statistically so weak that they have been immune from the 1991-92 trouble campaign when they went through 3 different coaches.
That sentiment only increased with Haaland ‘s second goal, significantly finding himself at the tail end of a move involving the Schulz and Hazard named on the left. Bayern had overloaded the other side, giving Schulz the Allianz Arena freedom on the left. Boateng was caught on the wrong side of the deadly Haaland.
Surprisingly, the Norwegian international had never scored in a quarter of an hour of any Bundesliga match. Now it was done twice in Der Klassiker. Come to think of it, Dortmund have never netted twice in the opening 10 minutes against Bayern. What on earth was going?
While I was at the microphone with broadcast partner Taylor Twellman, I couldn’t help but think back to the Bayern game I referenced for the Bundesliga world food in January. Mainz had piled into a 2-0 lead just to turn Bayern around and then some, recording a 5-2 victory. Granted, Dortmund are not in Mainz, but Bayern are in Bayern.
The fact that Bayern saw the flow of the rest of the game on the front leg was only a minute or two remote. I wrote on my notepad about 20 minutes “Dortmund looking complicated and looking for quick counters.” Marco Reus moved away from Bayern midfielder Niklas Sule, and shortly afterwards midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud came together nicely with full-back BVB Thomas Meunier on the right. But Bayern were now sweeping out Haaland.
The tide was about to turn sharply. Schulz made a mistake by giving Leroy Sane too much space and, with his slippery footwork, set a goal for Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker, the top scorer in this situation, was just warming up.
A prime moment came just before the break. When Dahoud clumsily entered Kingsley Coman inside the box, referee Marco Fritz saw no offense. But we’ve all learned to say “it will be scanned” and as soon as flash, Fritz had his TV reviewer get a second look. The more we watched, the more we thought, a spot kick was inevitable.
The normalization of Lewandowski’s punishment is largely self-evident: a step or two to the side, then that small amount of delayed activity before the strike itself. He was recently rejected by Rune Jarstein of Hertha, but this time he swept confidently past Marwin Hitz to balance the contest.
Perhaps because of that unlikely failure in Berlin, Bayern boss Hansi Flick chose to look away as his striker took the penalty, relying on acoustics to prove that he had in fact gone bankrupt. in.
It was Lewandowski’s 30th goal of the season, marking the fourth time he has hit that milestone.
In reality it was no more than Bayern deserved to go to half-time at 2-2. Dortmund’s goals with Haaland were the first two attempts of the game. The next 12 (!) Were all from Bayern.
As at the start of the first half, Dortmund started in the second half with enough confidence. Again we saw the Schulz-Hazard mix emerge with the latter pressing a straight wide bullet of the post.
After all, Bayern were the team with plenty to say for themselves, especially down the left where Coman, one of their key players this season, was a constant threat.
It was a matter of whether Dortmund could hold the score even as they fell ever deeper – too deep as coach Edin Terzic later agreed. Hitz hit Joshua Kimmich’s shot that kicked him right in front of him, but he fled without a shot.
But Dortmund’s prospects waned when the talisman Haaland, who had previously struck a blow, was replaced on the hour mark. By the 77th minute, Terzic had made all five of his substitutes, the last of which saw captain Reus, after just 32 touchdowns of the entire game, making room for the young Brazilian, Reinier.
Tension levels increased with each passing minute but the real drama was yet to be reached. In many ways it had to be delivered by someone who just keeps going.
Leon Goretzka has emerged from the shadows to become one of Bayern ‘s favorites. In a statement, when I only saw Meunier clearly so far, I asked him as a question? “Is there a chance for Goretzka perhaps?” The question was answered. Aim for Bayern. 3-2.
Dortmund raised the issue with the goal, feeling that there had been a deception in the build. After reviewing it over and over again, I haven’t seen anything wrong with Sane on Emre Can and still haven’t. This was not a clear and obvious mistake.
For good measure, Bayern scored again to seal Lewandowski’s hat, bringing him to 31 goals for the season and within nine of the 40 full-time record for one campaign that the famous Gerd Muller put in 1971-72.
The loss was particularly bitter for Dortmund, seeing a two-goal lead turn into a loss in the Bundesliga for the first time in more than 25 years. Expectations for the Champions League qualification continue to hang in the balance.
But there is no denying that the team was better.
Say a game. Grasping tension very close to the end and I have confidence through the telecast, we have earned more than a few versions for ourselves for the Bundesliga cause.