Bundesliga summit: Championship seems decided: Bayern wins top game

The championship in the Bundesliga seems to have been decided. After the 3:2 (0:1) in the top game at Borussia Dortmund, record champions Bayern Munich have moved to eleven points ten game days before the end of the season. Super striker Harry Kane with a brace (54th minute/70th, penalty kick) and Joshua Kimmich (88th) decided the prestigious duel for the second-placed team after the break.

Nico Schlotterbeck had put BVB in the lead (26th), but was lucky twice not to be sent off. Daniel Svensson (83′) scored to make it 2-2. In addition to the painful defeat, Dortmund also lamented the loss of captain Emre Can, who apparently had to be replaced before the break with a serious injury.

Despite a clear improvement in performance compared to the 1:4 disaster at Atalanta Bergamo in the Champions League, Dortmund also lost their second game of the season against Bayern. The last home win against the record champions was more than seven years ago. It was also the first home defeat of the season for coach Niko Kovac’s team.

Dortmund improved after premier class slap

From the start there was fire in the prestigious duel, which was being held for the 114th time. In the Bundesliga, only Bayern’s duels with Werder Bremen (118) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (115) occurred more often. Dortmund were clearly trying to make up for the disgrace in Bergamo and their embarrassing elimination from the Champions League during the week. The intensity against mentally and physically fresher Bayern was significantly higher.

But the league leaders let the ball run first. BVB defended passionately, but could hardly get out of their own half. The lead came out of nowhere and not out of the game. Schlotterbeck headed a free kick cross from Daniel Svensson past Jonas Urbig and into the net. Manuel Neuer lost the race against time after tearing his fiber and didn’t make it into the squad. Schlotterbeck was lucky to even be on the pitch for his fourth goal of the season.

After a good quarter of an hour, national defender Josip Stanisic was badly and bluntly kicked and was shown a yellow card. This served the 26-year-old well. After BVB scored 1-0, the game changed. The Dortmund team now had a little more control and an intense exchange of blows developed until the break, which the Bayern fans followed largely in silence.

That’s why the Bayern fans were silent

Before the Bundesliga summit there was a confrontation between the police and parts of the record champions’ organized fan scene. According to Sky information, guest fans decided to hold back on chanting and cheering in protest and in solidarity with the affected supporters.

Less than ten minutes after the restart, Dortmund’s good defensive work was briefly over. When goalgetter Kane equalized, Ramy Bensebaini, who came on for Can, moved out of the center of the defense a little too impetuously, which is why Serge Gnabry and goalscorer Kane appeared completely free in front of the BVB goal when Joshua Kimmich chipped the ball. The captain of the English national team did not miss this invitation and took the 29th time this season.

Bensebaini and Guirassy initially on the bench because of Ramadan

Bensebaini had made several serious mistakes in Bergamo and, like Serhou Guirassy, ​​initially remained on the bench at the start of the game. Dortmund coach Kovac justified this before the game with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. “We’ve been fasting for two weeks and we’ve already played four games. It takes a lot of energy when you can’t eat or drink all day and that’s why I just couldn’t bring the boys today,” Kovac said on Sky.

However, Guirassy replacement Fábio Silva had a terrible day and was a complete failure in attack. The Portuguese hardly won a duel and lost a lot of balls. It was only after more than an hour that Kovac came to his senses and swapped the two attackers for each other.

Schlotterbeck is lucky

This initially had no effect. A Schlotterbeck kick against Stanisic in the penalty area gave Bayern the lead. The confident penalty taker Kane converted the penalty. Schlotterbeck was also lucky in this scene. This time, referee Sven Jablonski gave him the second yellow card that was actually due.

After Svensson’s equalizer made it 2-2, Dortmund smelled of morning air again, but Kimmich’s dream goal shortly before the end of the game silenced the euphoric BVB fans.