The table stakes were different for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund as two of the world’s fiercest rivals staged a four-goal thriller at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Niko Kovac’s Dortmund overcame a blown second-half lead to rescue a point as both teams scrapped for a Klassiker win after midweek quarterfinal first leg losses in the UEFA Champions League.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Maximilian Beier and Waldermar Anton were BVB’s goal scorers, while Raphael Guerreiro and Serge Gnabry scored the goals for Vincent Kompany’s Bavarians.
Bayern’s table is now six points over Bayer Leverkusen, while Dortmund’s 42nd point inches them above Augsburg and into eighth place. Dortmund are six points outside the top four.
(from fotmob.com)
Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Kick off time: 12:30pm ET Saturday
Venue: Allianz Arena — Munich
TV Channel/Streaming: ESPN+
Maxi Beier 48′, Raphael Guerreiro 65′, Serge Gnabry 69′, Waldemar Anton 75′
Serhou Guirassy wants to be the hero but it saved by Urbig.
Advertisement
Advertisement
It’s only a momentary reprieve, as center back Waldemar Anton bags the rebound for his first Bundesliga goal this season.
The ex-Arsenal man takes it himself for what’s close to a solo goal, swimming through defenders before beating Kobel to give Bayern a first lead of the game.
It’s the former Dortmund fullback who pumps in the equalizer, assisted by Thomas Muller.
Guerreiro had only been in the game 11 minutes for Min-jae Kim.
Julian Ryerson stands up a cross from the right and Maximilian Beier knocks it down and past Urbig at the back post, as Dortmund have come out of the break to score from their first shot on target!
All square here, though not for plenty of effort from the hosts.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Bayern take 13 of the half’s 17 shots but cannot find the goal.
Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel has three saves and may be prodding his mates to ask Bayern backup Jonas Urbig, all 21 years of him, to be asked to make a save.
Possession isn’t lopsided but the shot attempts are very much so, as Bayern have pumped eight shots toward Dortmund’s goal and have produced 0.55 xG to the 0.03 coming from BVB’s lone attempt.
Urbig, Laimer, Dier, Kim, Stanisic, Kimmich, Goretzka, Muller, Olise, Sane, Kane
Kobel, Can, Sule, Anton, Ryerson, Ozcan, Gross, Svensson, Beier, Brandt, Guirassy
Bayern Munich are well set to win the league, but mid-table Dortmund can give their Champions League hopes a shot in the arm while perhaps helping Bayer Leverkusen’s flagging title hopes.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Bayern staged a tense UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg at home to Inter Milan at midweek, falling 2-1 before an all-important second leg in Italy on Wednesday. They’ll have to quickly rebound, and there’s no chance the vibes won’t be there in this monumental world rivalry.
Dortmund’s 2024-25 season has been up-and-down, again, and it looks like there will be no Champions League dream run to sugarcoat a second-straight disappointing league campaign. BVB fell 4-0 to Barcelona in their UCL quarterfinal first leg.
Former Bayern boss NIko Kovac is at the wheel now and has a chance to give his Dortmund career a huge kick while also giving his side their first three-match winning streak of the season. Dortmund’s 41 points are seven back of the top four and a season outside Europe remains possible if they don’t finish strong. No better chance than this.
OUT: Alexksandar Pavlovic (illness), Kingsley Coman (ankle), Manuel Neuer (calf), Alphonso Davies (ACL), Dayot Upamecano (unspecified), Hiroki Ito (undisclosed), Tarek Buchmann (shoulder), Jamal Musiala (hamstring).
OUT: Marcel Sabitzer (MCL), Nico Schlotterbeck (meniscus), Filippo Mane (muscular) | QUESTIONABLE: Cole Campbell (knock)
A split. The urgency is more there for Dortmund, as they’re licking their wounds more than a Bayern side still in their Champions League tie. Bayern boss Vincent Kompany has that much more to consider in terms of player usage, and that — along with a long injury list — maybe tips the scales late. Bayern Munich 2-2 Borussia Dortmund.
