Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Bayern Munich: Five Talking Points

A fiercely contested Der Klassiker couldn't produce a decisive breakthrough as Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich ended up sharing the spoils in an entertaining goalless stalemate.Touted as one of the most pivotal games of the season, hosts Dortmund had a chance to trim the gap at the top to just 2 points with a win, but failed to break down a resilient Bayern backline. At the other end, the visitors had a few chances of their own with which they could have decisively put an end to the league campaign, though some profligacy in the final third kept the scoreline deadlocked.Both sides went hell for leather in search of a breakthrough, but to no avail as the mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash ended honors even. Here are the major talking points from the game.

#1 Der Klassiker reloaded

Not all goal-less draws are just as entertaining. Today’s Der Klassiker, though, set a benchmark for serving the kind of entertainment despite failing to produce even a single goal.

Both teams, full of firepower, attacked at will whilst also keeping each other at arm’s length with some robust defending. The game got off to a flyer when chances flew right from the get-go and did not fizzle away even till the final whistle.

The German Clasico since the last season had been lopsided and even before a ball was kicked, the winners’ name was on the tin. But this time, it was something different. There was no clear winner heading into the game, and the match was end-to-end with several nerve-jangling moments.

From a parti pris tale to an iffy affair, it was Der Klassiker reloaded!

#2 The missed opportunities

Both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich were at fault for spurning many chances at either ends which otherwise would’ve painted a different picture of the outcome. With sides throwing caution to the wind in search of a breakthrough, there were numerous chances flying in from both ends, however, none had the end-product to put it into the back of the net.

Arturo Vidal squandered 2 good chances early on while Thomas Muller dragged a shot over the bar when he should've rather buried it. At the other end, Aubameyang tested Manuel Neuer with a rasping drive, whilst Erik Durm could only find the side-netting in a tense moment. The teams continued to press relentlessly, with Arjen Robben and Marco Reus in particular, going close to finding the net late in the game.

There were opportunities aplenty throughout the course, but none hit the bull's eye.

#3 Burki packs a punch

Borussia Dortmund shot-stopper Roman Burki had a frantic start to the game as Vidal called him into action inside 5 minutes of the game, but recovered thereafter as he made several crucial interventions that prevented the visitors from going ahead.

With Vidal, Muller, Costa and Robben surging forward at will, Burki was a busy man in goal, but not once did he put a wrong foot forward. The Swiss international was on hand to keep each one of the Bayern attackers at bay, and dominated his fief with great aplomb.

The 25-year old had to wait quite a while to see opportunities land at his feet at Dortmund, but with performances like these, he’s making every bit of it count.

#4 Ramos justifies his position on the bench

Adrian Ramos has never quite hit the throttle with Borussia Dortmund. Signed from Hertha Berlin in 2014, the Colombian international has spent more time warming the bench than strutting the field, since. We've seen him only in fits and starts in the yellow of North-Rhine Westphalia and even in those minutiae of moments, has seldom impressed.

Today was no different either. Coming on as a substitute in the final 10 minutes, Ramos had a golden chance to seal the tie in the hosts’ favour, but agonizingly blew it up. Aubameyang sent in an inviting cross from the right into his path, and Ramos, unmarked at the back post, directed a header wide of the target when he should've rather drilled it.

With the tie evenly balanced for most of the game, the 30-year old was presented with a chance to seal a late winner, but his effort failed to even test the goalkeeper. Instead of seizing such gilt-edged chances and make his case, Ramos continues to disappoint and as a result, may soon see himself out of the club’s exit door.

#5 The race is still on...

Borussia Dortmund had a brilliant opportunity to fan the pressure on Bayern by trimming the gap to just 2 points, but the draw now leaves them 5 points adrift of the holders in second. Although it isn't an unassailable lead, BVB may not see many more such chances to reduce the deficit as they did in this game.

The Bavarians drop points so infrequently that Dortmund cannot take a moment to lay back. They’ll have to perform optimally in each of their outings, and make the most of the chances that come their way.

With only 11 games till the season comes to a crescendo, the race to the finish line is very much on and it's also finely poised.