Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Bayern Munich: 5 Talking points | Bundesliga 2020-21
Bayern Munich produced a clinical display at the Westfalenstadion last night and managed to defeat Borussia Dortmund in a five-goal thriller, despite having two goals ruled out through offside by VAR.
In the highly entertaining Bundesliga fixture, that ended 3-2 in favour of the visitors, both sides looked dangerous on the counter and responded with vigour every time they went behind. Marco Reus broke the deadlock in the 45th minute following an evenly contested first half but the lead was shortlived as Bayern Munich's David Alaba found the back of the net from a free-kick right at the edge of the box with a little help from a deflection off Meunier.
Bayern Munich set the tone for the second half after they took the lead from Robert Lewandowski's header in the 48th minute. They threatened to go two goals clear but Kingsley Coman's striker just a couple of minutes later bounced back of the near post.
Leroy Sane, who came on as a substitute in the 69th minute cut inside brilliantly and scored the third Bayern goal in the 80th minute. Borussia Dortmund responded almost immediately as Erling Haaland pulled one back after timing his run to perfection to meet Raphael Guerreiro's looped pass in the 83rd minute.
So, there were five great goals scored in the game and Die Schwarzgelben will be wondering how they failed to share points with their fierce rivals in the game. As Bayern Munich go two points clear at the top of the Bundesliga standings here we take a look at the five talking points from their win.
#5 Joshua Kimmich's injury a concern for Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich lost Joshua Kimmich to injury at a time when the game was still goalless in the 36th minute. His absence was clearly felt in midfield as they ended up conceding a goal just nine minutes after his departure. He has been one of the standout players for the Bavarians this season and they could not afford to lose him to an injury, given their tight schedule.
Fortunately, Bayern Munich do not have a game for the next two weeks, thanks to the international break which would give the midfielder ample time to recover if its just a knock. He will most probably spend his time with the club only undergoing recovery sessions and will be safe from any further injuries on account of international duty.
#4 Borussia Dortmund will be kicking themselves over missed opportunities
Though Borussia Dortmund scored two goals against Bayern Munich tonight if they would have been a little more decisive in front of the goal the scoreline could've been different. Striker Erling Haaland's hesitance proved costly tonight as the player repeatedly made the wrong call in promising positions.
He did manage to get on the scoresheet but with his finishing ability and speed, he should've added one or two more to his tally tonight. The player who is usually so confident in front of the goal was a bit unsure of himself and too often looked for a team-mate in the Bayern Munich half, as a result, even his shots suffered as the goal was the only one of his four shots to hit the target.
Captain Marco Reus also volleyed over from Guerreiro's cross in the final stages of the game.