Review: Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Dortmund; Stoger’s first defeat, Pokal Cup Knockout

Peter Stoger’s debut win streak comes to an end. Defeat to Bayern ends DFB Pokal title defence

Borussia Dortmund was out in action for the last fixture for the calendar year. A Der Klassiker awaited the boys in Black and Yellows in the Round of 16 of the DFB Pokal Cup. Here is how the game went on.

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Starting XI

Bürki; Toljan, Sokratis, Bartra, Toprak, Schmelzer; Weigl, Kagawa, Guerreiro; Pulisic, Yarmolenko

Aubameyang misses the game due to a muscle injury. Peter Stoger decided to add some defensive protection and used a 5-man defence. Yarmolenko and Pulisic were the front two for the Black and Yellows.

First Half

Once the whistle blew, Borussia Dortmund was forced on the back foot by Bayern Munich. In the 3rd minute, Arturo Vidal manages to find a cross in the box but his header rattles the post. This began the wave of attacks from the home side.

Just a few minutes in, James Rodriguez finds himself in a similar position but his header was blocked and went behind for a corner. Lewandowski was up next but Roman Burki puts in a big save in a one-on-one situation.  The Bayern-pressure never seemed to reduce and they finally reaped their reward.

In the 12th minute, Niklas Sule’s header coaxed out a fingertip-save from Burki. But the ball was deflected by the crossbar and fell for Boetang. The German centre-back’s header flew past the goalkeeper and gave Bayern Munich the lead.

The home side never slowed down on their tempo and Borussia Dortmund was struggling to get hold of the ball. After the 20th minute, the Black and Yellows managed to gain control of the ball but failed to test the opposition defence. The control lasted only a few minutes, however, and Bayern Munich was back in possession.

In the 36th minute, Yarmolenko found himself inside the box and took a shot at the Bayern goal. The ball went past the goalkeeper but Alaba makes a goal-line clearance to deny a goal. Nearly 5 minutes later, the home side doubled their lead as Muller puts the ball in the back of the net after chipping Roman Burki in goal.

Borussia Dortmund held possession until the referee blew for half-time and the score was 2-0.

Second Half

Roman Burki was called into action in the very first minute of the second half. James Rodriguez placed the ball into the bottom corner. Thankfully, the Swiss was alert and made a last-ditch save. Muller was next to test the goalkeeper and this time, Burki was forced to use his feet keep the score 2-0.

Borussia Dortmund eased into the game after the 50th minute. The Black and Yellows began pressuring the opposition defence but were finding it difficult to break them down. Andre Schurrle was brought on to improve the forward line.

Bayern Munich managed to get free from the Dortmund attack and mounted an attack of their own. Thomas Muller made his way into the box and took a shot. But once again, Roman Burki put in a brilliant save.

The Black and Yellows continued their attack, hoping for a goal. In the 77th minute, Shinji Kagawa’s cross found Yarmolenko at the far post. The summer signing kept his nerve and turned the ball into the net to make it 1-2.  This began a period of nervousness among Bayern fans.

The opposition defence held up fairly well and was keeping Dortmund at bay. Alexander Isak was brought on just before the start of added time. The Swede had an opportunity to take the game to extra time but his shot was blocked out. The game ended 2-1 to Bayern Munich.

Conclusion

Bayern Munich dictated play for the first 50 minutes of the match. Barring from the Yarmolenko chance in the first half, it was one-way traffic and Burki stood tall keeping Dortmund in the game. The Ukranian forward managed to pull one back but it was too late for the Black and Yellows.

Peter Stoger’s first defeat had some positives. The team fought until the last minutes and at times it looked like we could see some extra time. But it is a disappointing end to our DFB Pokal Cup defence and the year 2017.