MANILA, Philippines – A sloppy and disastrous first half for Borussia Dortmund saw them dropped from their perch atop the German Bundesliga after a stinging 4-2 loss to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena last Sunday.
In only the 12th minute of the game, Munich center back Dayot Upamecano sent a long pass intended for teammate Leroy Sane. However, the ball went long and Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel rushed out of the box to clear it. Under no pressure, Kobel completely missed his kick and the ball rolled into the net for an unlikely goal.
From there on, the 10-time German champions flattened Dortmund as if the latter were punch drunk with a brace from Thomas Muller and one from Kingsley Coman.
Two late consolation goals from Emre Can and substitute Donyell Malen made the score line look respectable but in reality, it could possibly be a damaging loss.
The huge win gave the German giants the three full points to go 55 points in the table as Borussia Dortmund stayed at 53 points. Munich now has a 16-7-3 slate as opposed to Dortmund’s 17-2-7.
More than that, it gave Thomas Tuchel a win in his first fixture with Munich. Incidentally, Tuchel followed Jurgen Klopp as the coach of Dortmund in 2015.
How Dortmund bounces back from this loss is anyone’s guess as they battle Union Berlin this coming Sunday, April 9. The latter squad is running third in the league table with a 15-6-5 record and are two points behind Dortmund at 51.
Union Berlin defeated Dortmund, 2-0, on October 16, 2022 via a brace from Janik Haberer at their own Alte Forsterei Stadium.
Luckily for Dortmund they will be at home at Signal Iduna Park where they hope the friendly confines will help them get back on the winning track.
Bayern will clash with fourth-running SC Freiburg (13-8-5) in the latter’s home field of Europa-Park Stadion.
Freiburg is itching to get back at Bayern for their 5-nil whipping at the Allianz Arena on October 17, 2022.
The German Bundesliga is televised weekly on the Premier Football Channel on Skycable and Cignal as well as on the TapGo TV streaming application.