Munich.
In the Supercup at FC Bayern, BVB can make up a 0-2 deficit – but in the end, Munich wins. It’s her fifth title of the year.
Bibiana Steinhaus blew her pipe one last time. For the first female referee in German professional football, the Supercup was the last game, she ended her career. And there have already been the final whistles in this career that released more emotions, the FC Bayern professionals cheered their 3-2 (2-1) win against Borussia Dortmund quite routinely. No wonder, it was already the fifth title of the year.
And then it was just the Supercup. BVB coach Lucien Favre had already demonstrated its importance with his extensive rotation: Six new players came compared to the 2-0 defeat at FC Augsburg. The most important thing was to save energy for the Bundesliga.
BVB: Marco Reus with the first starting eleven after 293 days
Captain Marco Reus made his first start in a competitive game after 293 days, and Julian Brandt, Mahmoud Dahoud, Thomas Delaney and Felix Passlack were there for the first time from the start. Marwin Hitz replaced the sick Roman Bürki in goal.
And the newly formed troop did not initially give the impression that, as so often in previous years, they wanted to surrender without a fight in the Munich stadium. Dortmund put Bayern under aggressive pressure when they had the ball – and when the game was conquered, things moved forward rapidly.
The pressing of BVB was not always consistent enough
After 17 minutes, Erling Haaland’s shot was just cleared for a corner. And that brought the first hit – but on the other side. Benjamin Pavard headed the ball out, Alphonso Davies duped Thomas Meunier in his own penalty area as if he were the 19-year-old freshman, and then things went fast forward. Thomas Müller passed brilliantly, Robert Lewandowski crossed and Corentin Tolisso first shot at the crossbar and then into the goal (18th).
Here was a pattern of this game: Dortmund wanted to disrupt the Munich game early, not let the outstanding Bayern offensive get rolling – but the pressing was not always consistent enough, not precisely coordinated.
Müller skips BVB defender Passlack
And yet there were opportunities: Manuel Neuer hit a ball in Dahoud’s feet. His allusion to Reus was not precise enough and the subsequent conclusion too weak – Neuer held (23).
The home side gradually took control, the Dortmund team got more and more comfortable – and finally struck: At the end of a long combination, Davies crossed sharply from the half-field to the second post, where Müller jumped over the small pass and headed in (32 ).
BVB striker Haaland with a great chance
The evening in Munich seemed to take its usual course, but the Bavarians continued to be careless. They didn’t take advantage of a brilliant counter-opportunity, but Pavard played a devastating bad pass, the ball came to Brandt via Reus and Haaland – and he shot in from eleven meters (39th).
After the break even the equalizer should have been: BVB freed themselves with quick passes from the Munich pressing, in the end Meunier ran freely towards the goal – and shot the ball into the upper tier (47th).
It was now an intense, but also a muddled game, both teams made mistakes and inaccuracies – and Bayern again the more difficult one: Lewandowski lost the ball in the build-up, Delaney stuck through to Haaland and he coolly pushed in to make it 2-2 (55 .).
BVB keeps the damage within limits
A little later almost a repetition of this scene: After a liberation, Haaland was free again – but this time Neuer held strong (59th).
The Dortmunders now looked fresher than the recently badly strained Bavarians. But they didn’t really get through – and then they made the capital mistake: Delaney lost the ball, Bayern countered again rapidly, Joshua Kimmich failed first due to heat and then steered the ball over the goalkeeper when falling (82nd).
Then it was over. Bayern had another title, the Dortmund team kept the damage within limits this time – and so nobody was really unhappy at the end of this Supercup evening.
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