Bundesliga 2019-20 | Bayern Munich 4-0 Borussia Dortmund: Hits and Flops
Bayern Munich welcomed Borussia Dortmund to the Allianz Arena on Saturday with the reigning Bundesliga champions in a bit of a tricky situation. Bayern had parted ways with Nico Kovac after last weekend’s 5-1 defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt. The German giants started the game 6th in the Bundesliga table, 4 points behind surprise league leaders Monchengladbach. Interim manager Hans-Dieter Flick had his hands full because their rivals were coming into the game with momentum on their side.
Borussia Dortmund were 4th in the table ahead of the game, 3 points off the top, but had seen off a spirited Inter Milan side in midweek in the UEFA Champions League. Lucien Favre’s side had conceded just 11 goals in 10 games in the league, the second-lowest after Wolfsburg. There was a lot more on stake than just 3 points in the Der Klassiker and both managers named their teams accordingly.
Bayern Munich Starting XI: Manuel Neuer; Benjamin Pavard, Javi Martinez, David Alaba, Alphonso Davies; Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman; Robert Lewandowski
Borussia Dortmund Starting XI: Roman Bürki; Achraf Hakimi, Mats Hummels, Manuel Akanji, Nico Schulz; Julian Weigl, Axel Witsel, Julian Brandt; Jadon Sancho, Mario Götze, Thorgan Hazard
The away side started well, but it was Bayern Munich who took the lead through Robert Lewandowski in the 17th minute. 2 minutes into the second half, Serge Gnarby doubled Bayern’s lead. Lewandowski put Bayern 3-0 up in the 76th minute, before a Mats Hummels own goal in the 80th minute summed up a brilliant night for Bayern Munich. Here are the hits and flops from the game.
#5 Hit: Thomas Muller
The German International has taken a back seat this season, allowing others to take most of the accolades. However, Thomas Muller still is a vital cog in this Bayern Munich team. Against Borussia Dortmund, the German showcased his importance once again.
Muller might not have picked up a goal, but he ended the night with two assists. He set up Gnarby’s goal in the first half, before helping Lewandowski score his second after the break. The German international worked extremely hard on the pitch and had 75 touches on the ball, registering 3 key passes. He recorded 7 tackles with a 57% success rate and was one of the best players in the game.