Wasted Chances and Poor Defending See Bayern Munich Bow Out of the DFB Pokal
![MUNICH, GERMANY - APRIL 26: Arjen Robben of Muenchen reacts during the DFB Cup semi final match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena on April 26, 2017 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images) MUNICH, GERMANY - APRIL 26: Arjen Robben of Muenchen reacts during the DFB Cup semi final match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena on April 26, 2017 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/12167ec147659466e6a38f3ab95a2fc9cfbd5c0b3b206762a94c301b57f1c225.jpg)
Just a week after making an early exit from the Champions League, Bayern Munich lose their second Der Klassiker of the campaign and bow out of the DFB Pokal. The Bavarians will surely curse their luck as they wasted several chances and made silly defensive errors, allowing Dortmund to make their comeback.
Manager Grade
Bayern Munich. CARLO ANCELOTTI. D-. It’s been a disappointing couple of weeks for the Italian manager, who has now been knocked out of two competitions much earlier than many of the Bayern faithful would have expected. Ancelotti must take a significant portion of the blame for this one too. He subbed off the squad’s best performer–Mats Hummels–in the 61st minute, with the game far from over. With the removal of the German goal-scorer, Bayern’s defense looked significantly less stable. Furthermore, he waited til only 10 minutes remained in the match before making his second and third substitutions, leaving Muller and Costa with no time to make any significant impact. With such an utter collapse over the past few weeks, Bayern fans will be watching Carlo Ancelotti carefully as the team ends this domestic campaign.. Manager
Player Grades
There was nothing Ulreich could do to prevent any of the three Dortmund goals, and he was hardly tested on any other occasion.. GK. Bayern Munich. SVEN ULREICH. C
LB. Bayern Munich. DAVID ALABA. C. The Austrian full-back constantly attacked the Dortmund defense down the flank, but his final ball still left much to be desired. The tricky feet of Ousmane Dembele turned Alaba inside out before the Frenchman fired home the game winner. The 2016-17 season cannot end soon enough for Alaba, who perhaps needs to step back and evaluate himself over the summer break.
C-. A game of highs and lows for the Spanish international. His terrible back-pass set up Dortmund perfectly to open the scoring before he headed home the equalizer nearly 10 minutes later. Javi showed a real lack of concentration through the whole match, however, and could not step up when his team desperately needed him.. CB. Bayern Munich. JAVI MARTINEZ
CB. Bayern Munich. MATS HUMMELS. A. Undoubtedly the best player in red on the night, Hummels showed determination and hard-work against his former club. He made a few great tackles and kept Ousmane Dembele completely quiet on the defensive end and expertly fired home Bayern’s second on the offensive end. Why Ancelotti chose to remove him from the game is beyond me, as his presence was sorely missed for the final 30 minutes of the match.
B-. Noticeably distraught in the post-match interview, the captain took the blame for the Dortmund’s winner, despite it honestly being a team effort. Lahm played one heck of a match leading up to his mistake and will unfortunately only have the bad memory to take with him from this one. With now only four games left in his playing career, the realization of a Lahm-less Bayern is beginning to set in.. RB. Bayern Munich. PHILIPP LAHM (C)
Philipp Lahm: "I wanted to end my career with a final but that's football. You don't always take what you want" #FCBBVB pic.twitter.com/jXIE6dHQ5D
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 26, 2017
ARTURO VIDAL. B+. The Chilean played better than in either of the Dortmund legs and was unfortunate not to receive the rewards for that. His tireless effort could not make his teammates finish their chances or stop them from giving the opposition easy ones.. CDM. Bayern Munich
C. The speed of this match was always going to be too fast for Alonso’s skills to be fully appreciated. However, Alonso passed the ball with expertise as usual before making way for Thomas Muller.. CDM. Bayern Munich. XABI ALONSO
C+. The French winger played an excellent first half, but fell off quickly in the second. Assisted Hummels for his great goal.. LM. Bayern Munich. FRANCK RIBERY
CAM. Bayern Munich. THIAGO . B. The Spaniard had a disappointing game by his standards, but a great one by the standards of normal players. Despite being obviously tired, Thiago controlled the flow of the game through the midfield. Like Vidal, Thiago cannot determine whether or not his teammates finish the chances he sets up for them.
C-. A game to forget for the Dutch winger who could not finish any of his chances. His frustration was evident as picked up a silly booking, but more is expected from the Bayern veteran.. RM. Bayern Munich. ARJEN ROBBEN
ST. Bayern Munich. ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI. D. Just when Bayern Munich needed Lewandowski the most, he (for once) did not come through. Largely anonymous and poor when he did touch the ball, the Polish striker hardly seemed a threat against his former club.
Subs
C. Perhaps the German international should have remained on the bench for this one. He looked to still unfit and was largely to blame for Dortmund’s equalizer, as he lost Aubameyang inside the box, giving him a free header.. CB. Bayern Munich. JEROME BOATENG (61')
Bayern Munich. THOMAS MULLER (79'). N/A. Brought in with only about 10 minutes to make the different, there was never going to be much Muller could do.. CAM
Bayern Munich. DOUGLAS COSTA (86'). N/A. Like Muller, Costa was thrown into the fray with little opportunity to affect the match.. LM