On Saturday evening, following the conclusion of the recent international break, Bayern Munich resumed Bundesliga action by welcoming Borussia Dortmund to the Allianz Arena.
Bayern dominated the opening 45-minute period but somehow only had Harry Kane’s 22nd-minute headed goal to show for it when the half-time whistle blew. A combination of indecision in the final third and some smart saves from Gregor Kobel in the goal kept the visitors in the game.
The match was a more even contest in the second half as Dortmund came out from the break with renewed vigor, whilst the home team struggled to match the intensity of the visitors. Even so, Bayern drew first blood in the second half when Michael Olise made it 2-0 from close range in the 79th minute.
Dortmund substitute-Julian Brandt, set up an exciting finish when he steered in a right-sided cross five minutes later to halve the deficit. However, no further goals were scored, and the reigning Bundesliga Champions held on for the 2-1 win. Let’s take a look at three players who stood out for Bayern in this season’s first instalment of Der Klassiker.
Harry Kane
Positional play aside, Kane was the most impactful player in Der Klassiker. The English forward's influence on the match only grew stronger after he outmuscled his marker to head the ball in the goal to give Bayern the lead midway through the first half.
Over the course of 90 odd minutes Kane had, what was for him, a rather high number of touches in tallying 68 compared to his Bundesliga match-average of 45. The 32-year-old striker was the most fouled player in the match ( six times) as his impact was felt in all areas of the pitch. In the attack, apart scoring,
Kane also created one goal-scoring chance, and he completed nine of ten with long balls when he dropped deep to supplement the midfield and simultaneously launch an attack. His perfectly weighted curling long pass to Luis Diaz that led to the second goal was the pass of the game.
From a defensive perspective, Kane completed five recoveries, two clearances, and even blocked a shot on two occasions.