There have certainly been far better Klassikers in recent seasons, but there won’t be too many Bayern will have enjoyed more.
After shading the first half and getting a breakaway goal that kiboshed Dortmund’s gameplan, they rode their luck at times in the second half, as the referee let a late penalty appeal go, Marco Reus blazed wide, and Manuel Neuer produced two inspired pieces of goalkeeping.
They won, though – and the determined nature of the win, after so many long afternoons at this ground, may just give Pep an extra spring in his step. Thanks for joining me, and for all your e-mails. You really are good eggs. Bye!
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FT: Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Bayern Munich
That’s it – Bayern re-open a ten-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga, thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s first-half goal.
93 mins: Rafinha scurries upfield with the ball, before Sokratis lets Bayern off the hook, bringing down Thiago as the clock runs down. That’s your lot.
92 mins: When all else fails... Sokratis lines up a long throw, but Subotic can only flick it wide of goal. Dortmund have been camped in Bayern’s half for most of this second period, but what have they got to show for it? Nothing.
91 mins: Ramos holds the ball up and plays it back to Schmelzer, who sends in another swerving cross which just evades Kagawa in the middle. Dortmund continue to push forward, perhaps more in hope than expectation.
89 mins: Rode has had an inauspicious half-hour, which continues with a cynical chop on Mkhitaryan, earning himself a yellow card. Four minutes of injury time to come.
87 mins: Reus stands over it – and draws a sensational save from Neuer! The free-kick gets up and down, and reaches the goalkeeper at floor height, a yard inside his right-hand post. Neuer does well enough to stop it, but with yellow shirts closing in, he stops the ball dead with his arm. That’s why he’s the best.
86 mins: Dortmund turn the screw, with Aubameyang caught by Alonso in the area. There looked more contact than Boateng’s challenge on Reus, but I’m not sure Aubameyang had the ball under control. No matter – Rode handles outside the area, and Dortmund have a free-kick in a very dangerous spot...
85 mins: Schmelzer’s effort is cleared, but Bender’s through ball creates chaos, and the ball falls to Hummels eight yards out... but the defender, up for the original free kick, tries to bring it down, runs out of time, and scuffs a shot wide. That one had to be belted, first time, top corner. Not good enough, Mats.
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84 mins: Someone in a yellow shirt needs to do something, and soon. Dortmund, who collectively look a little worn out, are running out of time, although Dante gives them a chance with a pointless foul on Reus, out near the right-hand touchline.
81 mins: Bayern press on with their plan to squeeze the life out of the game, going through a passage of play that’s punctuated only by whistles whenever Götze gets involved.
Here’s Devyani Ramamoorthy:
“As a Bayern fan who has found Alonso’s lack of pace this season quite frustrating, it’s reassuring to see that he does indeed have something in those legs – even if only to promptly walk out of earshot of the referee as he received his yellow card.”
You’ve got to keep something in reserve, I guess.
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78 mins: Substitution for both teams. Mario Götze comes on to a frosty reception, replacing Thomas Müller, who clearly didn’t want to come off. For Dortmund, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is on; Ilkay Gündogan is off.
76 mins: Reus’ corner is cleared by Lewandowski, but the ball is worked back into the box, forcing Boateng to head behind. Schmelzer takes it this time, and finds an excellent, dipping delivery which Ramos can’t connect with. Kagawa has a chance to shoot, but as ever, he is met by a wall of red (and blue) shirts.
75 mins: A booking for Alonso for pulling on Kagawa’s shirt. Dortmund have the chance to push forward, and Sokratis wins himself a corner. This can’t just be a routine 1-0, can it?
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72 mins: Bayern hop out of the deckchairs and surge into the Dortmund area, Lewandowski missing a half-chance as he swishes at thin air.
70 mins: Kagawa’s through ball bounces up invitingly for Reus, but Neuer is off his line in a flash, and heaves a glove in the air to knock the ball away, letting it go as momentum carries him out of the penalty area, with the danger gone. Brilliant work.
68 mins: Lahm’s game is over, replaced by Thiago Alcantara, making his return after over a year out injured. Good to see.
Meanwhile, Reus’ lofted free kick is flicked on by Ramos, and Neuer has to make a save, although not a particularly difficult one.
66 mins: Reus makes space for a low cross, but it’s cut out by the near-faultless Benatia. Concerted pressure from the hosts now, and there’s a double change coming, with Ramos and Kagawa on for Kampl and Kuba, who I last saw an hour ago.
64 mins: Alonso slips on the ball, allowing Aubameyang to race away down the right flank. Lacking support, he steels himself for an angled shot – which flies comically into the stands.
63 mins: Schweinsteiger is having ice applied to his ankle, which suggests he took a knock too many in the furious first half. It’s all gone (relatively) quiet, as Dortmund try and rebuild their momentum.
60 mins: Until now – and there was the chance Dortmund were waiting for! From a richochet, Bender brings the ball down, and picks out Reus on the right. Reus charges clear of the defence, who had completely switched off – but he fires the ball wide of the near post. You can’t miss those.
58 mins: Kampl, who couldn’t get a kick in the first half, is much more involved now, moving around Reus and Aubameyang to try and prise an opening. Bayern’s defence, with Xabi Alonso imperious ahead of it, remain unruffled.
56 mins: Aubameyang finds Kampl on the left with a backheeled pass, and the Slovenian twists back inside before putting in a dangerous right-footed cross. Bernat is on hand to clear. Change for Bayern - Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has had a rough time of it, is replaced by Sebastian Rode.
53 mins: First Reus, then Gundogan have chances to shoot from just in front of the D, but both shots are charged down. Sokratis, not the quickest full-back going, has torn forward gamely so far in the second half.
51 mins: To give Bayern’s defence credit where it’s clearly due, they haven’t given Dortmund’s forwards an inch, and Reus lets frustration get the better of him, piling into Bernat after the Spanish wing-back robs him of the ball.
49 mins: Bayern skip upfield, and as Müller looks to release Philipp Lahm, he’s robbed by a clinical challenge from Reus, who had raced back fifty yards. A mixed five minutes from the forward.
47 mins: No changes at half-time, but a change of emphasis from Dortmund, as they look to hold onto the ball in Bayern’s half. Eventually, Marco Reus gets a half-yard in the penalty area, and flops to the ground pitifully under Boateng’s challenge.
Peep!
We’re back underway, with the referee having to keep an eye on things behind Manuel Neuer’s goal, with the former Schalke goalkeeper the target of missiles from the crowd.
Here’s a shot of the pre-game scenes, complete with curious posters. Dortmund’s fans have rather outshone their team so far.
More egg news from Peter Crosby:
“The official Bundesliga website has also hidden 3 Easter Eggs on its website this weekend for people to find (sounds like amazing fun).”
It does indeed, although not as fun as following the second half live - so don’t be gone long...
HT: Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Bayern Munich
So, Bayern soaked up early pressure, got a goal on the break and finished the half looking very comfortable. So far, it’s all gone to plan. There’s plenty of time though – particularly if Dortmund can stop flapping, and give Bayern’s back three more work to do. Back in a few moments.
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Aubameyang, who has contributed precious little, slaps the free-kick into the wall. From the ensuing pinball, Subotic fires over from miles out. And that’s half-time.
45 mins: Subotic targets Aubameyang with a clever lofted pass, Boateng gets a foot to it, but from the rebound, Alonso upends Reus thirty yards out, central. A half-chance for a Dortmund equaliser out of pretty much nothing...
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44 mins: Alonso seeks out Muller with a long ball, but the forward can’t get it fully under control. There’ll be one added minute.
42 mins: More ineffectual scurrying from the Dortmund midfield, who haven’t been able to offer Aubameyang, or indeed Reus, any service. Pep Guardiola will be pretty, pretty happy with how this has gone so far.
Payter Aitch sheds more light on the Three Eggs Saga:
“Thursday just past is called Gründonnerstag - green Thursday - and you traditionally eat 3 hard boiled eggs (drei Eier) with a green herb sauce.”
So, I’m counting about five or six potential meanings so far - in one A4 sign. You won’t find craftmanship like that in the Premier League.
38 mins: The noise inside the ground hasn’t abated one bit – whether Bayern fans are piping up in place of Dortmund’s, I can’t be sure. Dortmund up the tempo but are still reliant on winning the second ball. Reus is the latest player to concede a foul in chasing said ball, bundling over Dante.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Bayern Munich (Lewandowski)
Müller and Lewandowski have combined so well up front, and they make a breakthrough that was almost inevitable. Lewandowski picks out Müller with a diagonal pass, the German advances on Weidenfeller, but is denied by a terrific reaction save. The ball loops in the air, and Lewandowski, twelve yards out, beats everybody to the header, and it rolls into the net.
34 mins: A quiet spell, although Bayern look the more dangerous. Dortmund’s head of steam may have run out already. Here’s Mathias Kowoli to lower the tone:
“Let’s not forget that “eggs” in German also refers to testicles and that someone owning three of them is regarded as especially virile.”
32 mins: Müller is at the centre of things again, and he goes down under Gündogan’s challenge 25 yards out. Not a huge amount of contact there. Alonso looks to bend it into Weidenfeller’s left-hand top corner, but slips at the vital moment – not that it misses by much as a result, whipping wide of the post.
30 mins: Pass, pass, pass from Bayern’s midfield, before they spring forward. Müller cushions a pass wide to the overlapping Rafinha, but Schmelzer forces a throw-in.
28 mins: Schmelzer goes into the book for a late tackle on Rafinha. I’m being generous, he kicked him. There’s an edge to this game, to say the least.
26 mins: A first foray upfield for a while for Dortmund, as Bender looks for Kampl in the area, but Benatia completes a salmonesque headed clearance. Whistles from the crowd as Kampl hits the deck with Rafinha behind him, but no real appeal from the Dortmund players. Schmelzer has the chance to cross again, but it’s overhit.
Updated
23 mins: Opportunity for Bayern as Kuba concedes a cheap free kick on the left with a petulant foul on Bernat. Alonso strolls over to take it, but can’t pick out a Bayern player with his floated delivery.
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20 mins: An absurd amount of feisty tackles flying in, as Aubameyang goes in with studs up on Schweinsteiger, catching the ball but also a swathe of Schweini shin.
So, the three eggs thing. Peter Crosby reckons “Drei Eier might be referring to a popular footballing expression ‘Drei Eier ins Nest’” – a 3-0 lead – while Sebastian Singer prefers “Oliver Kahn’s famous quote ‘Eier, wir brauchen Eier’ or ‘we need eggs’… egg meaning a lucky goal, even if it’s not deserved... ”
It’s Easter tomorrow, so perhaps it’s a shopping list.
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19 mins: A referee can only stand so much, and Schweinsteiger goes in the book for a clumsy late challenge on Bender. Don’t say he didn’t warn you.
17 mins: Dante gives away a needless foul in the centre circle, lolloping all over Aubameyang fifty yards from goal, before Kuba upends Schweinsteiger. Poor Knut Kircher is trying to let the game flow; still no yellow cards shown.
15 mins: Reus, operating largely in the space behind Aubameyang, gets the better of Alonso, who clips him to end the danger. That ought to be a yellow card, but it isn’t - merely a free kick, which Dortmund waste.
13 mins: Müller and Lewandowski are going to find space with Dortmund pushing up, and they combine neatly here, Müller setting Lewandowski away from the Polish forward’s lay-off. He’s offside - but not by much - and can’t resist lofting the ball into the net, despite the flag being raised.
12 mins: Bayern try to enjoy a spell of possession, but it’s tricky when they’re surrounded by black and yellow blurs. That said, the defending champions have had the only clear-cut chance.
9 mins: After the Bayern defence stroke it around, another lofted diagonal finds Lewandowski, who gets around Subotic, but is flagged for a foul. The defender was a little fortunate there. A few whistles from the Dortmund fans - they’re a forgiving bunch.
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7 mins: First chance for Bayern, as Müller latches onto a superb Bernat through ball and lobs Weidenfeller, but from a tight angle, the ball doesn’t carry to goal and Hummels can hack it away.
6 mins: Bayern will have expected Dortmund to start on the front foot, and the hosts have obliged, chasing down innumerable loose balls in the first five minutes. Reus almost picked out Slovenia’s Kampl, but the Bayern back three stepped up smartly.
4 mins: It’s Kuba again, wriggling into the area and coming under pressure from Dante. The Polish winger topples over, but referee Knut Kircher is unmoved.
3 min: Kuba, in his third match following an almost year-long injury break, is a little rusty, picking up the ball but delaying his pass to Sokratis, who had given up and wandered back to the halfway line.
1 min: A tenacious start, with Lahm getting involved to dispossess Bender in midfield. Kuba gets into space in the right corner, but Benatia moves across to deal with the threat.
Peep!
We’re off. Dortmund are playing left to right in yellow and black; Bayern are in their traditional (for this season) red and blue.
80,000+ in Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, with the renowned Yellow Wall holding up enormous posters depicting... their own stadium. Those quirky guys! They even do A4 signs better than us...
So, Philipp Lahm returns for Bayern, who look set to line up in a dashing 3-5-2 formation, with Bernat and Rafinha as wing-backs, attempting to hit Dortmund on the counter-attack, thereby beating them at their own game. For once, Dortmund’s stars are fully assembled, with Hummels, Subotic, Kuba, Gündogan and Reus all present and correct. This should be decent.
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Team news
Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Sokratis, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gündogan, Bender, Kuba, Reus, Kampl; Aubameyang.
Subs: Langerak, Dudziak, Ginter, Kehl, Mkhitaryan, Kagawa, Ramos.
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Dante, Benatia, Boateng; Rafinha, Lahm, Alonso, Schweinsteiger, Bernat; Müller, Lewandowski.
Subs: Reina; Thiago, Pizarro, Gaudino, Götze, Rode, Weiser.
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Preamble
Football can throw up some peculiar rivalries. Take this one: Der Klassiker, on paper a battle between arguably the Bundesliga’s two strongest teams - currently and historically. There’s much more to it, though: the past twenty years in Germany’s top division have largely seen the Goliath of Bayern taken on, and sporadically beaten, by an array of plucky Davids. Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, Stuttgart have all broken the Bayern strangehold, then made a hasty retreat.
Dortmund are a little different, having collected five titles in the past two decades – although Bayern have managed 12. Less than two years ago, Dortmund took Bayern to the wire in the Champions League final. Only Goliath decided to buy David’s sling off him by signing up Mario Götze, who didn’t play in the game. A season later, with Dortmund still snapping at their heels, Bayern took Robert Lewandowski off their hands as well.
So, Bayern cruised into the distance with Dortmund’s best assets under their arm, while Jurgen Klopp’s team were cut adrift, spending the winter break rock bottom of the league, 30 points behind Bayern. Some rivalry. Except with these two, it’s never quite that simple. Dortmund have bounced back to within five points of Europe, and they host a Bayern team at their lowest ebb of the season (although that’s not saying much) - the champions are without Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and David Alaba, among others, and lost their last home game to Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The key to this rivalry thriving where others have failed is Dortmund’s continued ability to beat Bayern, despite the aforementioned odds. Since 2010, Dortmund have won 8 Klassikers to Bayern’s 6. They may well do so again today, and would at least make the title race competitive. Then again, Bayern may well buy Marco Reus or Mats Hummels if they do.
Niall will be here shortly.
