Bayern Munich drop points in enthralling clash against Borussia Dortmund | OneFootball

A difficult week ended on a sour note for Bayern Munich as they dropped two points in the Bundesliga. The Bavarian side was held for a 2-2 draw by their arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Vincent Kompany went with the strongest possible lineup from the group of players fit for this game. Thomas Muller got a rare start as he slotted in the number ten position behind Harry Kane, while while Raphael Guerreiro moved to the bench after starting in the attack against Inter Milan.

It was far from an ideal start for both sides as they made silly mistakes on the ball, but the defensive unit worked diligently for both teams to mop up these errors. Die Roten got their first big chance in the 19th minute when Michael Olise forced Gregor Kobel to make a top save from close range. Thomas Muller came close to scoring the first goal of the game a minute later, but Kobel once again stepped up to deny the hosts.

Bayern dominated the remainder of the first half as Dortmund had to defend deep to preserve the clean sheet. Olise had the opportunity to put Bayern ahead five minutes before the half-time whistle. Harry Kane played a delightful pass to put Olise through on goal as Die Roten looked to hurt Dortmund on the counter. However, Kobel did a commendable job to come on top in the one vs one duel. Kobel also made a fantastic save in the final minute of the first half to deny Kane and preserve Dortmund’s clean sheet.

Eventful second half of Der Klassiker

Both sides struggled to score goals in the first half, but the second half was the opposite. Dortmund silenced the Allianz Arena by scoring the first goal of the game in the 48th minute. The visitors punished Bayern with a simple ball in the box. Ryerson delivered a pinpoint cross from the right flank to find Maximilian Bier. Kim Min-jae completely lost Bier, and the German striker headed the ball past Jonas Urbig.

The South Korean defender was substituted before the hour mark. Raphael Guerreiro replaced him and made an immediate impact. The Portuguese created a big chance straightaway as Dortmund came close to conceding an own goal after a dangerous ball across the face of the goal.

Guerreiro found the back of the net in the 65th minute after a tidy bit of play between Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller in the box. Muller laid off the ball for the Portuguese defender. Guerreiro showed great accuracy in putting the ball past Kobel to bring Bayern into the game.

Die Roten piled the pressure on Dortmund after scoring the equaliser. Gnabry specifically looked very lively after coming on for Leroy Sane after the hour mark. The German winger put Bayern ahead in the 69th minute by scoring a brilliant individual goal, going past several Dortmund players with ease.

The hosts had firm control of the game, but they looked vulnerable in their box. Dortmund capitalized on one such mistake and scored the equaliser in the 75th minute. Waldemar Anton pounced on a loose ball in the box and slotted it past Urbig. Bayern had chances to clear the ball from the set-piece. They were made to pay for their mistakes by Dortmund.

Despite conceding the equalizer, Bayern created several chances in the final ten minutes to win the game. However, they just couldn’t finish their chances. Dortmund had one big chance through Pascal Gross, but the German midfielder couldn’t keep his lobbed attempt on target.

The only silver lining from matchday 29 of the Bundesliga is that Bayer Leverkusen also dropped points against Union Berlin. Despite the 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund, Bayern remain six points clear at the top of the table. Vincent Kompany will need his players to be much better in the next five games to seal the league title. The Bavarian side will need a much better performance on Wednesday to beat Inter Milan and qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League.