For the first time in 15 years Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund met in ‘Der Klassiker’ without the Bundesliga title on the line, but most-anticipated clash still drew the attention of an international crowd.
Munich-born Karim Adeymi silenced a 75,000-strong crowd at the Allianz Arena, which included Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan, as the visitors earned their first league win in Bavaria in 3,641 days and at the 10th time of asking.
The jubilant celebrations from the Dortmund players at full time following their 2-0 win in front of their 5,000 travelling fans showed the meaning of the victory and the match, even without the teams vying for a trophy.
“It took us too long,” head coach Edin Terzic told Sky. “But we’re extremely happy with our performance today.”
Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl echoed the sentiment, adding: “In the end, it’s only three points, but of course it’s not easy in Munich and it’s been 10 years. It’s definitely a good feeling,”
A decisive match
With Bayer Leverkusen holding a 13-point lead at the top of the table ahead of the start of the match, which saw an increased police presence due to an alleged terror threat , the feverish atmosphere at kick-off matched the rivalry felt between Bayern and Dortmund.
“We are very disappointed because we felt we did not bring the necessary passion to win the game,” Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said after the game. “It was too little from us when it came to the basics.”
Both teams had plenty on the line, with Dortmund chasing fourth and a Champions League place for next season, and Bayern’s squad all playing for their futures, with a new head coach being sought to lead the team next season.
But it proved to be Edin Turzic’s team who grasped the occasion, with Adeymi stroking past Bayern No.2 goalkeeper Sven Ulreich early in the first half before Julian Ryerson clinched all three points when he slammed the ball into the top corner late on.
Hummels stars in 29th ‘Klassiker’
Bayern Munich’s home dominance over Borussia Dortmund came to a stuttering halt as their leaky defense conceded for a 10th consecutive Bundesliga match, a fate they last suffered in the 1980/81 season.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Dortmund defender Mats Hummels, who spent three seasons with Bayern between 2016-19 between his two spells with BVB, was key to ensuring the away side kept out the prolific Bayern striker Harry Kane.
With Euro 2024 fast approaching, question marks over Hummels’ inclusion in Julian Nagelsmann’s final 23-man team had been raised after he was omited from the recent international friendlies against France and the Netherlands.
But the 35-year-old shepherded Dortmund’s defence with assurance as he denied Kane many clear-cut chances and cleared off the line to help move his side into fourth in the Bundesliga, three points clear of RB Leipzig.
“I’m not fast but I was always flexible,” Hummels said at full time.
Bayern face unexpected season without silverware
Defeat all but ended Bayern’s hopes of overhauling Xabi Alonso’s side at the top of the Bundesliga, as the team face a trophyless season for the first time since 2011-12.
Though a prolific Kane is chasing Robert Lewandowski’s league record of 41 goals in a single season, the €100 million English striker proved unusually toothless in front of goal.
Bayern’s catalogue of superstars across the pitch failed to impress, with former Bayern defender Philipp Lahm admitting that his former side had failed “to build a team.”
“They did not identify who the five or six players are who form the core of that team,” he said to Bundesliga.com .
“Players who provide security and stability, which comes when you play together regularly. What that means for the club is that they will leave no stone unturned. That is clear from Bayern’s history.
“When failure happens they question everything: The positions, the players, the entire philosophy of the club and often they return even stronger after a crisis.”
However, Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich bemoaned his side’s performance, saying: “It’s completely frustrating, completely inexplicable. Regardless of the situation in the table, this shouldn’t happen.”
Leverkusen edge ever-closer to title
Bayer Leverkusen’s players followed head coach Alonso’s announcement on Friday that he would be remaining with the squad next season with an impressive stoppage-time victory to underline their title credentials.
The Bundesliga leaders notched their 34th victory of the season, stretching their unbeaten run this season to 39 matches, with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Hoffenheim.
With just seven matches left in the league, Leverkusen are edging closer to an avoidance of the horror collapse of 2002, when they let slip a five-point lead over Dortmund with three matches to go.