5 most memorable moments from the Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund rivalry

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are the two most successful clubs in Germany in terms of league titles and these two clubs have shared the last six titles between themselves. And the recent success of these two teams has intensified Der Klassiker rivalry. Dortmund’s incredible rise under Jurgen Klopp was a huge threat to Bayern and the two teams eventually faced off in the first all-German Champions League final in 2013. In 2012, Bayern also appointed Matthias Sammer, who was a Champions League and Ballon d’Or winner with Dortmund, as their Sporting Director and the Bavarians later snapped up two of Dortmund’s most talented players – Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski – which further fuelled the rivalry. The matches between these two sides have produced some amazing moments over the years. Even the last encounter between the sides was entertaining as Bayern shockingly missed four penalties on the trot and lost the DFB Pokal semi-final to their fierce rivals.Here are five of the most memorable moments from the Der Klassier over the years.

#1 Robert Lewandowski sinks Bayern\'s title hopes

On 11 April 2012, Bayern and Dortmund played each other in a potential title decider at the Signal Iduna Park. Coming into the game Dortmund were top of the table with 66 points and aiming for successive league titles while Bayern were second with 63 points. The Bavarians needed to win the game to have any hope of winning the title as this was the 30th match of league season which comprises of only 34 games.

With the game level at 0-0 in the 77th minute, Dortmund were awarded a corner. Bayern cleared the ball, but it fell to Großkreutz at the edge of the penalty box. The German’s low shot was going straight into the arms of Manuel Neuer, but a deft touch from Lewandowski saw the ball end up in the back of the net and this was the Polish striker’s only goal against his future employers.

More drama followed in the closing stages as Arjen Robben won a penalty with an alleged dive, however the Dutchman missed from the spot and that’s when Neven Subotic famously confronted Robben to rub salt in his wounds. Six minutes later Robben missed from close range with an open goal gaping at him.

Neven Subotic taunts Arjen Robben after his miss

Dortmund went on to win all their remaining games and won the title with an 8-point lead over Bayern.

#2 Bayern score 11 past Dortmund

The game in 1971 was the biggest win in a game between the two sides

Bayern Munich’s team from the 1970s was one of the best in the world and it was during this period that the club won a hat-trick of European Cups. On 27 November 1971, Bayern hosted Borussia Dortmund in a league game and it is by far the most lopsided game between the two teams.

The Bavarian side that faced Dortmund boasted some of the game’s greatest players like Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer and Franz Roth. Right from the offset, Dortmund were no match for Bayern and in the 11th minute Gerd Muller opened the floodgates.

Muller went on to score three more goals, while Uli Hoeneß and Franz Roth both scored a brace. Wilhelm Hoffmann, Franz Beckenbauer and Paul Breitner were Bayern’s other scorers and Dieter Weinkauff scored a consolation goal for Dortmund.

#3 Thomas Muller announces himself to the world

Louis van Gaal was responsible for brining Muller into Bayern’s first team

In 2009, when Louis van Gaal took over as Bayern Munich manager, 20-year-old Thomas Muller was an unknown figure in the football world and he was on the verge of moving on loan or permanently in search of first team football. However, Van Gaal’s emphasis on his youth policy meant that Muller, along with fellow academy graduate Badstuber, would get their chances with the first team.

In the first few league matches of the season, Muller was a regular substitute. On 12 September 2009, Van Gaal sent Muller on as a substitute in an away game against Borussia Dortmund. In the 78th minute, Muller brilliantly controlled a poor clearance from Felipe Santana and fired it past a hapless Roman Weidenfeller to score his first goal for Bayern Munich. 10 minutes later Muller scored again and this time with a sublime strike from outside the box.

Three days later Muller would score another brace for Bayern in a Champions League game and almost a year later he found himself on a plane to South Africa with the German National team, where he would finish the tournament as the joint top scorer.

#4 Arjen Robben redeems himself

Robben celebrates after scoring the winner in the 2013 Champions League final against Dortmund

Arjen Robben is among the best players today, but the period between 2010 and 2012 was not great for him on a personal level. In 2010, he missed two one-on-one chances in the final of the FIFA World Cup and had to settle for the runners-up medal.

Two years later his penalty miss and an open goal miss against Dortmund in the league effectively cost Bayern the league title. A month after his penalty miss against Dortmund, Robben missed another crucial penalty and this time in the final of the Champions League against Chelsea. If the Dutchman scored from the spot then he would have put Bayern in the lead, but he missed and Bayern lost the final in the penalty shootout.

The weight of so many missed chances and defeats in the finals was on Robben’s shoulder and his time to seek redemption came in the final of the 2013 UEFA Champions League.

In the 60th minute, Robben and Ribery interchanged several passes before the Dutchman rounded Weidenfeller and put in a cross for Mario Mandzukic, and the Croatian scored from close range to give Bayern the lead. However, eight minutes later, Dortmund equalised from the spot and the game was heading into extra time.

But Robben had other plans. In the dying minutes of the game he raced onto a back-heel flick from Ribery, made his way past three Dortmund defenders before sliding the ball past Weidenfeller in goal – thus ending Bayern’s long wait for a Champions League title.

#5 Dortmund striker Jan Koller goes in goal

Koller wearing Lehmann’s kit stood in goal for Dortmund

Back in November 2002, Dortmund’s striker Jan Koller had to go in goal for Dortmund after their goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was shown a red card and Dortmund had already used all three substitutions.

Koller had opened the scoring in the game early on and now had a daunting task ahead of him as Dortmund were playing with just nine men since Torsten Frings was sent off before Lehmann. With over 24 minutes of normal time plus injury time to play, fans expected Bayern to add to Dortmund’s misery, but what followed shocked the viewers.

The Czech International started his career as a goalkeeper and his training came in handy on this day. He prevented Bayern from scoring any more goals and he even made some good saves in the process. His performance was so impressive that Kicker magazine named him as Bundesliga’s top goalkeeper of the week.