Two of the Bundesliga’s League top teams faced off on Saturday afternoon at Dortmund’s home field: Allianz Arena. The match was set to be exciting and intense, and that it was. Both teams put all their effort on the field, and after being tied at the half, Bayern had a comeback to secure a victory.
From the opening minutes, Dortmund made their presence known and came out strong. Within minutes, Erling Haaland struck the ball, and despite hitting a deflection, screamed into the back of the net. Dortmund did not stop there, defending their home turf. Soon after, Haanland once again was able to score at the 9-minute mark off a perfect cross from Thorgan Hazard. It seemed pretty clear that the home team came prepared for battle and wasn’t going to back down.
Just when it looked as though Dortmund would have an easy upset, Bayern got their act together. Now playing more of an attacking style than defensive, they were able to move up their field with ease. This, in turn, created many dangerous opportunities for the visitors. Playing with more confidence, the hard work began to pay off.
Robert Lewandowski was Bayern’s main reason for success, as he netted 2 goals in the first half. He managed to easily tap the ball into the goal in the 26th minute with a short cross from Leroy Sane. Just before halftime, Lewandowski stepped up once again, this time to take a penalty shot. Mahmoud Dahoud caused the foul for Dortmund after getting too aggressive against Kingsley Coman. Slowly approaching the ball, Lewandowski caught the keeper off balance and finished the ball in the bottom left corner. Heading into halftime, the score was all tied up at 2-2.
Things only went continued to go downhill for Dortmund after retaking the field once again after the break. Neither group could convert another goal, and as the clock winded down, it looked that it would end in a draw. That is until Leon Goretzka took a shot on a volley after a poor clearance from a Dortmund defender. Striking the ball low and hard, the shot entered the far bottom left corner and gave Bayern back their edge. This late goal made the score 3-2, with just under 2 minutes of regulation play left.
However, Bayern was not done. For the third time in the match, Lewandowski placed a ball into the net, this time from over 18 yards out. His goal came just as stoppage time was approaching in the 91st minute, officially securing the victory.
Most of the game was in favor of Bayern in every which way. From possession to shots taken and on goal, the visiting team proved themselves worthy of a win. On the other hand, Dortmund was possibly too much in their heads from scoring so early and quickly became disorganized. Their biggest downfalls were giving up many fouls and Haaland subbed off with an ankle injury. That, in itself, was very discouraging for Dortmund since he had previously scored the opening goals.
With this win on their record, Bayern jumped back on top in 1st place, just a point ahead of RB Leipzig. Unfortunately for Dortmund, they remain in 6th, at least a few games behind Leverkusen.
Up Next
Bayern heads home to host Werder on Saturday, March 13th. Kickoff is set from 9:30 a.m. ET.
Dortmund faces off against Sevilla in the Round of 16 for the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, March 9th. The match will begin at 3:00 ET.
