Bayern Munich lost their first game of the Bundesliga season as a well drilled Borussia Dortmund side won thanks to a goal from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Bundesliga leaders coming into the weekend knew they had to match RB Leipzig’s result but they just could not get the win to stay on top of the table.
Dortmund started the weekend six points behind Bayern but the 11th-minute winner does provide them with a bit more impetus as they look to win the league title. Bayern dominated the game in terms of possession but just could not break a resolute Dortmund defence in Der Klassiker.
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We look back at an enthralling game and list out the five talking points.
#1 Aubameyang wins the battle of the strikers
Two of the best strikers in the world went head to head in a battle for supremacy. Former Dortmund star Robert Lewandowski hasn’t been firing on all cylinders for Bayern, and that showed today as he couldn’t really do much in the final third.
Aubameyang, on the other hand, needed just one chance in the early minutes to score via a poacher’s finish. The Gabon international worked his socks off as he ran for every ball the Dortmund team pumped up forward.
Lewa was poor for his side and even though his team created ample chances, he just was not in the right position or was snuffed out by the Dortmund defence. This was not a happy return to the Signal Iduna Park for the Polish star and this round was won by the Gabonese striker, who bagged his 12th goal of the Bundesliga season from just 10 games.
#2 Franck Ribery’s return fuels Bayern but is not enough
The return of the enigmatic Frenchman cannot be understated. The winger missed eight games with a thigh injury but Carlo Ancelotti was ready to give the attacker a chance and he was absolutely magnificent.
Ribery was a threat on the left for Bayern and he constantly peppered crosses into the Dortmund defence. He was a tricky customer to deal with and if the Munich side had a bit more luck, they could have scored a number of goals against Dortmund.
The Frenchman was such a big threat that he was the target of some vicious tackles from the opposition but he just kept on purring and was one of the few positives for Bayern in the loss.
#3 Bayern just could not get that final touch
If anyone switched on to watch the game without having a look at the score line, they certainly would have thought Bayern had scored six or seven goals. The first half was all Bayern and it must have been a mystery for Ancelotti as to why they did not get a goal in opening 45.
Bayern came out invigorated in the second half and again went all out to get the equaliser. They had a number of chances but that little bit of luck needed to score was not on Bayern’s side. Ancelotti even brought on the bright Douglas Costa in place of Joshua Kimmich but the Brazilian was not able to get his team that all important goal.
Xabi Alonso also smacked the crossbar in the second half with a wonderful shot from outside the box but this was just one of those days on the pitch, Bayern dominated but just could not get it done in the penalty box.
#4 Thomas Tuchel’s gets his tactics right
Borussia Dortmund haven’t been doing all that well this season and they were six points behind Bayern coming into the game. Losing this match would have been a severe blow to their Bundesliga aspirations but their counter-attacking game plan just about worked.
Bayern dominated the possession with 64% of the ball and even had the greater number of chances to score with 12 shots but Dortmund looked threatening on the counter. They didn’t have Marco Reus’ pace and guile but Adrian Ramos did well to hold up the ball and bring in other players who broke forward for the home side.
Aubameyang did his bit as well and his pace was a problem for Mats Hummels, who had signed for Munich from Dortmund in the off-season. The Gabon striker did have a great chance to double the home side’s lead in the second half but he shot straight at Manuel Neuer.
Tuchel was also able to nullify Lewandowski, which really affected Bayern, and the former Mainz manager will hope his side can be just as effective for the rest of the season.
#5 An open season in the Bundesliga?
If we were to ask you who would be topping the Bundesliga after 11 games, your answer would have been Bayern Munich or even Dortmund but RB Leipzig currently lead the table by three points. The newly promoted side have been exceptional this season and are one of two sides unbeaten in the top division in Germany.
They might have a three and six point lead over Munich and Dortmund respectively but TSG Hoffenheim have also been pretty good and are unbeaten as well. FC Koln are flying high in fourth place thanks to Anthony Modeste’s heroics and the top seven are just separated by seven points.
With Pep Guardiola leaving Germany, Bayern seem to have been affected in a negative way and that certainly has opened the league up. The Munich side doesn’t seem to be invincible anymore and we could have a new champion come the end of the season.
