Bayern Munich just edge past Borussia Dortmund in DFB Cup play and advance to the next round after an end-to-end tale of two halves.
The round of 16 fixture between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund should have taken place later in the competition. Instead, two of the best teams Germany has to offer faced off early in the season. Both teams were missing important players, regular starters, and this may have been the difference between the two — who had the better depth?
The game was end to end and the first 10 minutes saw a lot of high octane action. Bayern hit the bar with a shot from Arturo Vidal. Christian Pulisic threatened for Dortmund. Franck Ribéry had a shot parried away by Roman Burki. But it was in the 12th minute that Jerome Boateng finally broke the deadlock.
A free-kick from James Rodriguez saw Niklas Süle head onto the bar, sending the ball towards Jerome Boateng whose forceful header hit the back of the net. Advantage Bayern.
An effective change in tactics from the black and yellows
After initially lining his men up in a 3-4-1-2, new Dortmund coach Peter Stöger switched things up by bringing on Mahmoud Dahoud in place of Marc Bartra after 35 minutes. Dortmund managed to remain slightly more solid in their defensive line, but in midfield — and everywhere else on the pitch — Bayern controlled the game.
Shortly after this, Dortmund nearly managed to get an equalizer, as Andriy Yarmolenko’s powerful shot was cleared off the line by a block from David Alaba (who has every right to claim the man of the match award). His performance today was easily one of his best since his breakout season a few years ago.
Very strong first-half performances from Thomas Müller, Robert Lewandowski, James and Ribéry caused a lot of chaos for the Dortmund squad. This culminated in a well-worked team-goal for Thomas Müller who lobbed Burki with the ball provided by his Polish teammate.
Half number two
The second half saw much of the same. Both teams attacked each other well, but it was Dortmund who struggled to hold on to the ball still. Pulisic attempted to get clear on goal by beating Bayern’s high line, but a clever offside trap stopped him, as well as characteristic tackles from Boateng and Süle.
Around 60 minutes, Kingsley Coman replaced Ribéry, who came off to a standing ovation. His form has dropped, as has his physical ability, but he can still be important to the team and this match is evidence of that.
Coman continued his fine form by providing many options down both flanks, working very well with Kimmich and Alaba. As they were 2-0 down and utilizing an extremely high line, it was odd that Ulreich et al. didn’t utilize Coman’s incredible speed for counters. Whereas Bayern of 2012 would have launched the ball towards the opponents half, the 2017 outfit opted not to.
The visitors pull one back
Dortmund were able to get a goal back through Yarmolenko in a play that, while slightly against the run of play, was something that Dortmund had been threatening all game.
Bayern held on though and carried on attacking. Further substitutions saw James come off for Corentin Tolisso and Javi Martinez come off for Sebastian Rudy — a somewhat brave decision considering Arturo Vidal picked up a caution shortly beforehand. As well as this, Martinez was incredible, as always.
Next: Bayern Munich beat Dortmund in tense DFB Cup match -- Player grades
In conclusion, this match was exciting and successful, which is what Bayern fans want to see in their cup games. It is a shame, however, that both teams were not at their full capability. This match was, essentially, lost before it began. No Aubameyang, Reus, Götze, Castro, Pisczcek, this was a Dortmund team far removed from their full capability. It was a match that could have been the final and that should have been contested with two fully fit squads. Alas, Bayern got the victory against a team that will no doubt be disappointed.