On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich faced off in the second Klassiker match of this season. Unlike in the past two campaigns, in which the Bavarian giants cruised along comfortably to the Bundesliga title, this time around, the gap between die Schwarzgelben and die Roten was reminiscent of what fans have been hoping to see in a league that has threatened to become a one-horse affair in recent times.
As a result of Bayern suffering a shock loss to Mainz mid-week – their first ever negative result at the Allianz Arena this term – coupled with Dortmund’s comprehensive 2-0 win over Darmstadt, the difference between no. 1 and no. 2 had been cut to just five points. A win for Thomas Tuchel’s side would reduce this even further to just two and would definitely blow the title race door back open, whilst a victory for Pep Guardiola’s men would not just complete a “double” over their rivals but also slam the very same door back shut.
This weekend’s game also pitted two of the most in-form strikers not just in Germany but in European football, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Robert Lewandowski – who coincidentally, were teammates at Dortmund – against each other. Between the Gabon and Poland internationals, they have racked up an impressive 45 goals and not since the famed 1970’s heyday of Gerd Müller and Jupp Heynckes have fans seen such a prolific duo playing for opposing teams.
Moreover, with 59 goals each, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are currently the highest scoring sides presently competing in the Bundesliga. One team was coming into this game having seen their unbeaten home record end, whilst the other was hoping to get some revenge after their 5-1 humiliation from the first Klassiker earlier this season.
Indeed, the stage was set for some major fireworks. Fans were wondering if they would be in for a goal-fest like the last one, and if Borussia Dortmund, who have been very impressive both domestically and continentally this season would finally be able to turn the tides on their “big brother” who has been basking in the spotlight over the past few years. However, that is not what transpired on Saturday, and after 90 minutes of action in a game that represented, at times, a chess match, neither Tuchel nor Guardiola were able to outwit the other.
Usually, a scoreless draw leaves many feeling disappointed, and whilst it was a bit of a let-down not to see goals from either side, Saturday’s Klassiker match was one of the more entertaining 0-0 results of the season. In fact, it almost seemed to be a fitting result, especially how Dortmund successfully kept both Lewandowski and Müller quiet – a task that, given that the duo have scored 40 out of the team’s 59 goals (even more than some entire squads) – is a tough one to achieve. On the opposite end of the pitch, young defender Joshua Kimmich was able to go toe-to-toe with the speedy Aubameyang, who has terrorized defenses across the continent with his pace and power and put in a brilliant shift to keep him and Marco Reus from finding the back of the net.
Still, the result leaves both teams exactly where they started off: five points apart. So, the question is, will this feel like one point won, or two dropped for Dortmund or Bayern Munich?
In all honesty, despite Dortmund’s impressive performances, they will surely be ruing their opportunity to cut this deficit down to two points. Five points in most leagues is not an impossible task to overcome; just look at how Juventus went from the bottom half of the table to the summit after stringing together an impressive 15-match winning run. One caveat: La Vecchia Signora were not just aided by their own excellent form, but from the patchy showings of the teams above them, including Inter and Roma. But unfortunately, for Dortmund fans, that will not likely happen in the Bundesliga. Guardiola’s squad will rebound and get back to winning ways and it is really highly doubtful that the league title will be departing Munich this season.
All in all, Saturday’s result means that, whilst die Schwarzgelben may have seemingly won the tactical battle, they look like they have lost the war.