Bayern come from behind in classy Klassiker

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Bayern Munich 4 - 2 Borussia Dortmund, Allianz Arena
(Lewandowski 26', 44', 90' Goretzka 88' - Haaland 2', 9')

Borussia Dortmund were not the first team to take the lead against Bayern Munich this season, but the twelfth.

They weren't even the first team to take a 2-0 lead against Bayern Munich this season; four teams had already managed that, including Eintracht Frankfurt, Arminia Bielefeld and Mainz in this calendar year alone.

And in the end, Borussia Dortmund were not the first team to take the lead against Bayern and still lose. They did it themselves at the Westfalenstadion back in November, and they repeated the trick here, as Erling Haaland's early brace was ultimately eclipsed by a Robert Lewandowski hat-trick and a Leon Goretzka strike.

It was the 10th time this season that Bayern have come from behind to salvage at least a point, and the sixth time they have gone on to win, restoring them to the top of the table after RB Leipzig had temporarily supplanted them earlier in the afternoon.

Comeback kings

There are several factors common to Bayern's ten Bundesliga comebacks, and it would be churlish not highlight the obvious one first: Bayern themselves.

Even after falling behind or enduring wobbly starts, Hansi Flick's world champions keep moving the ball with a tempo and an intensity which inexorably forces opponents deeper and deeper, shifting this way and that, chasing here and there, until the gaps in their exhausted ranks inevitably open up. Rarely has mere possession of the ball seemed so aggressive as when this Bayern team hit their rhythm.

And when those chances do present themselves, Robert Lewandowski is there to execute them. His two first-half strikes against Dortmund were goals number 29 and 30 in the Bundesliga this season. The superlatives, whether in English, German or Polish, are long since spent.

The supporting cast is also as variable as it is formidable. Thomas Müller's 11 Bundesliga assists this season have seen Joachim Löw weigh up recalling the self-proclaimed space interpreter, but it's the recent form of Leroy Sané which is most ominous: the former Manchester City man's pinpoint assist for Lewandowski's first against Dortmund was his fifth Bundesliga assist since Christmas.

Crucial missed chances

But there was something else which was eerily familiar on Saturday afternoon, and it's related to Bayern's opponents, especially at the Arena in Munich.

Like Mainz and Bielefeld before them, Borussia Dortmund had come flying out of the blocks. Perhaps no longer weighed down the burden of expectation of being involved in the title race, the visitors pressed aggressively, moved the ball rapidly and Erling Haaland finished lethally – twice in the opening nine minutes.

The battle of the Bundesliga's top strikers was on, and it seemed that the so-called "Klassiker" was finally about to produce a spectacle worthy of the marketing moniker.

But taking the lead in Munich isn't enough. Just ask Wolfsburg, RB Leipzig and Werder Bremen. Even taking a 2-0 lead isn't enough. Just ask Mainz and Bielefeld.

Perhaps a three-goal lead would provide a comfortable enough cushion? But that's where it gets speculative, because no-one has managed it, despite having the chances to do so.

On Saturday, Dortmund had that chance too. After another well-worked counterattack, full-back Thomas Meunier only had to square the ball to Haaland, less than ten meters away with the goal gaping. But the Belgian's pass was off target and David Alaba cleared.

One minute later, Sane found Lewandowski with a significantly more difficult pass at the other end and Bayern were back in the game. Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic called it the "crunch point" which changed the game.

Reus: 'Too passive, too deep'

Such are the margins, such is the speed with which Bayern's opponents are so regularly punished, such is the level that the opposition must reach if they are to win here.

"We started well but then we stopped trying to play football," said Dortmund's Emre Can, speaking to Sky post-match. "We needed to be braver, when you only play bravely for ten minutes against Bayern, then it gets difficult." Captain Marco Reus agreed, admitting that "we became too passive, we dropped too deep."

And Thomas Müller noticed it: "Dortmund dropped very deep and we were able to establish ourselves on the edge of their box. Our intensity grew, we knew we were increasing the pressure, even if we had to wait for the third goal."

But eventually, inevitably, the third goal came, even if Reus was convinced that Can had been fouled in the build-up, a foul which he said would have been given had it been against Bayern. Why? "Because that's just how it is," he said, declining to elaborate.

But play continued, Dortmund failed to clear and Leon Goretzka rifled home. Lewandowski completed his hat-trick with the fourth goal shortly after, and Bayern reclaimed top spot from RB Leipzig, who will also know that simply taking the lead against Bayern just isn't enough.

As it happened:

-- Germany trio with different perspectives
And that man Müller is one of the players to face the Sky cameras. "We will take that with us, it was very important for us," the Bayern man said.

Dortmund skipper Marco Reus went on to bemoan his side's lack of goal threat in the second half and Emre Can was even more blunt: "Not good enough today. We have to put that behind us quickly," he said.

-- Löw on the game and comebacks
We'll keep an eye on the reaction to this one and have a report with you soon enough.

One of the first to pipe up has been Joachim Löw, who watched on from the stands today. The Germany coach said earlier on that he will make a decision in May about whether axed trio Thomas Müller, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng return to the Germany squad but was impressed by what he saw.

"High-intensity and very, very exciting," Löw said. "A real top match." No argument there, Jögi.

FULL TIME
It all started so well for Dortmund. Two goals from the young pretender Erling Haaland had the visitors in control early on. But Bayern have made a habit of comebacks this season and the old master Robert Lewandowski was provoked in to a response.

First the Pole turned in Leroy Sane's low cross then rolled home a penalty. Dortmund, racked by injuries and with an inexperienced front line on the pitch, dropped deeper and deeper and eventually paid the price when Leon Goretka slammed home a loose ball.

Lewandowski ensured he had the last word with a smart finish from the edge of the box. Haaland, who had injured his ankle in the second half, could only watch from the sidelines. It feels as if, once again, that may be the case for the rest of the Bundesliga.

+++ As it happened +++

90+2 - A couple of late subs for Bayern. Hernandez and Chupo-Moting for Müller and Sane. 

90' - Goal! Bayern Munich 4 - 2 Borussia Dortmund (Lewandowski)
That's why they're champions. Davies flies down the left, cuts is back across the top of the box, Sane runs over it and Lewandowski sets it up and lashes home low past Hitz. Back on top.

88' - Goal! Bayern Munich 3 - 2 Borussia Dortmund (Goretzka)
It had been coming. Müller's cross is only cleared as far as Goretzka. It's a difficult volley but the midfielder steers it in to the corner, past Hitz's right hand.

87' - Tigges sees that Neuer has gone walkabout and chances his arm from the halfway line. But he doesn't strike it cleanly and it's easy for the Bayern skipper.

85' - Morey gives away a sloppy ball on the byline and Davies works it in to Goretzka but Belligham makes a huge block. But Bayern keep coming, first Müller almost gets his head on a deep cross then Sané has an air shot from the resulting corner.

82' - Sané wriggles his way down the left and swings over a deep cross towards Gnabry on the opposite side, but it's cleared for a corner. From that, Kimmich takes it short before recieving the ball back. His pot shot is deflected behind for another corner. This one is met by Süle, who nods just wide. Pressure building by the minute.

80' - The visitors just cannot keep the ball here. They're holding on.

78' - Some pretty Bayern patterns involving Lewandowski and Müller are ended when Gnabry drags a shot miles wide. Dortmund are very deep, but so far Bayern haven't created anything clear cut in the second half.

76' - Final Dortmund change
And the skipper is coming off, for Reinier, who made an instant impact against Arminia Bielefeld last weekend. It's a very inexperienced Dortmund front line now.

74' - Bayern are camped in Dortmund territory now and Hitz is forced to make a smart catch after Gnabry's shot deflects and flies off towards the top corner.

72' - Gnabry involved for the first time and he skips away down the left. But his low cross towards Müller is stabbed behind for a corner, which Hitz punches clear. 

70' - Yep, that's it for Boateng, who is carried off and replaced by Martinez. Dortmund make a double change, it's Morez and Bellingham for Zagadou and Delaney.

69' - Some nice stuff from Dortmund now and Dahoud spots a well-timed run from Reus off the back of Boateng. But the Bayern man just stretches out a leg to divert it to his keeper as it reaches the penalty spot. But he may have hurt himself in doing so here.

67' - Enter Gnabry
Here comes the German winger, replacing Coman. The Frenchman was fairly peripheral today, but did win the penalty for the equalizer.

63' - Chance!
Sané burns past Hummels to latch on to a through ball and lays off to Lewandowski on the edge of the box. But the Polish hitman doesn't keep his head over the ball and blazes over.

61' - Lewandowski flicks the ball over Hummels in the box and turns to fire his shot off, but Can is there to poke it away before the point of contact. Crucial defending.

60' - Double subtisution
Davies hammers in a cross which Lewandowski heads over. And Edin Terzic make a double change. Hazard and Haaland, who obviously couldn't run off that ankle knock are replaced by Brandt and young striker Steffen Tigges, who has just 17 minutes of Bundelsiga football to his name. 

58' - Reus tries to get Haaland in, fails, and tries to switch play to Meunier on the right. But the Belgian can't quite keep it in play. Dortmund have taken their foot off the gas a touch, a dangerous game against Bayern.

56' - Süle picks a path through the Dortmund midfield and tries to slip Coman in, but Dortmund scramble clear.

55' - Haaland is back on the field after receiving some treatment on the sidelines. He looks ok.

53' - Boateng dumps Haaland to the ground after the Norwegian spun him in the Dortmund half. The striker is down for treatment and Boateng is very lucky not to see a yellow card there, it wasn't violent but he knew Haaland was away. The Norwegian is holding his ankle. This doesn't look great.

51' - We had a goal two minutes in to the first half and we could easily have had one at both ends after two minutes of this one. This can't finish a 2-2, can it?

48' - Let off!
A frantic start to the half. Reus goes down under challenge from Kimmich in the box, but nothing is given. It looked shoulder to shoulder but.....you've seen them given. At the other end, Hitz spills a straightforward shot from Kimmich and it almost falls to Coman. Heart in mouth time there for Hitz, who has had a few nervy moments deputizing for Bürki.

47' - Schulz breifly gets away from his former Hoffenheim teammate Süle down the left but the Bayern man gets back. But Dortmund start again through the left back and his deep cross finds Hazard at the back post and he flashes an effort in to the side netting.

46' - And we're off again!

HALF TIME - A brilliant first 45 comes to an end with the teams all square. Dortmund got off to a flyer as Erling Haaland bagged an early brace. Not to be outdone, Robert Lewandowski replied in kind, the second of his goals came from the spot. Going behind does not seem to bother Hansi Flick's side in the slightest and the smart money is surely on them in the second period.

45+1 -  A corner is cleared to Alaba who has a pop with his left on the bounce from 20 yards. But he can't get over it.

44' - Goal! Bayern Munich 2 - 2 Borussia Dortmund (Lewandowski)
The VAR overrules the referee, who was very close to the incident and Lewandowski waits for Hitz to dive left and rolls it in to the other corner. All square.

42' - VAR penalty review!
Coman cuts in from the left and then hits the deck after a challenge from Dahoud. The Frenchman was very theatrical but it looks like the midfielder caught him.

40' - Haaland takes down a difficult long ball brilliantly and tries to flick in Reus, who is rushing through the center, but it's just behind his skipper.

39' - Lewandowski isn't happy to let Haaland hog the headlines. The Polish striker wants his second and tries to get it with a snapshot on the turn from the egde of the box. But he gets under it and it flies over the bar.

36' - The first passage of play that even vaguely resembles a lull. This has been a breathless game so far.

33' - Sané is looking the business today and finds Lewandowski by the penalty spot, but a Dortmund defender gets across to block the shot in the nick of time.

32' - We get a replay of that penalty call and it looks very much like Dortmund's captain got lucky. The ball appeared to strike his upper arm, rather than shoulder. Either way, Dortmund need to turn the tide here, an equalizer feels inevitable.

30' - Penalty claim!
Bayern's players want a penalty here. A ball is fizzed in to the Dortmund box from the left and strike Reus in the box. But the referee says it hit his shoulder. Surprised not to see a VAR review there.

26' - Goal! Bayern Munich 1 - 2 Borussia Dortmund (Lewandowski)
Here we go again. Sané is given far too much space in Dortmund's box. Kimmich picks him out and he makes a mug of Schulz, dropping the shoulder and firing in a cross/shot. Arch poacher that he is, Lewandowski is there to tap in to the empty net.

25' - Dortmund looking dangerous on the counter again and Meunier is slipped in to the penalty area by Dahoud, with Davies completely turned round. He looks for the pass to Haaland but it was never really on. Has to have a crack there really.

24' - Haaland tries to wriggle his way through but it crowded out.

20' - Bayern chances!
Bayern finding a bit of a groove now. Goretzka chests down Süle's cross to Lewandowski, who shins his volley wide of Hitz's left post. Not an easy chance but his connection was poor. Moments later, it's Müller's turn. He swings a leg at a high, difficult ball in the area but it flies harmlessly in to the empty stand.

17' - Close!
Kimmich, out on the left, spots Sané's run at the back post and curls a high ball towards him. Hitz gets a little caught under it, but the angle is too tight for the wide player, who can only head on to the roof of the net.

15' - A little break in play as Goretzka and Hazard get in a midfield tangle. Bayern need to catch their breath.

13' - Bayern have been here before plenty of times this season and gone on to take something from the game. But they look a little shellshocked here and are trying just to get a spell of posession.

9' - GOAL! Bayern Munich 0 - 2 Borussia Dortmund (Haaland)
Wow. This is some team goal, and some scoreline. It starts with the keeper but it's really a first time switch of play from Can that opens it up. Schulz then slips in Hazard in the left hand edge of the box and he squares for Haaland to tap in. Scintillating stuff.

7' - Lewandowski, perhaps stung by the young pretender's opener, tries to head Sané's cross towards goal but he's going backwards, it's a long way out and it's simple for Hitz.

6' - The visitors fancy this. Hazard pings a lovely ball from left to right before some nice link up between Reus and Haaland breaks down when the goalscorer is crowded out.

4' - Bayern look to respond sharply as Kimmich finds Coman out on the left with a freekick. The French winger's cross is claimed by Hitz, under some pressure, and the keeper is given the foul.

2' - GOAL! Bayern Munich 0 - 1 Borussia Dortmund (Haaland)
Well, well. Dortmund string together a few nice passes but it's actually a loose ball that provides Haaland with the chance. The Norwegian finds himself with a yard just adjacent to the 'D'. That's all he needs, his low drive deflects slightly of Boateng and flies past Neuer's left hand. What a start!

1' -- Kimmich decides to tie his laces seconds before kickoff but eventually Müller gets us underway. 

-- Nearly there

The camera picks out Germany coach Joachim Löw and the Bayern and Dortmund bigwigs taking their seats and the players are about to emerge from the tunnel. Not long now!

-- History and injuries against Dortmund

Those midweek injuries to Sancho, Reyna and Guerreiro have caused Terzic all sorts of problems. It's a huge ask for Zagadou and Hazard to return from such long absences against the German, European and World champions, but the Dortmund boss may argue that he had little choice.

Recent results at the Allianz Stadium don't exactly bode well for the visitors either...

-- RB take top spot

The 15:30 kickoffs in the Bundesliga are done and dusted, and RB Leipzig's win at Freiburg means they take top spot, though Bayern need only a point to regain the lead. Elsewhere, Borussia Mönchengladbach's downward spiral since Marco Rose announced his summer move to Dortmund continues and Hertha Berlin grabbed a crucial late winner in the scrap to stay up.

-- Team news

It's as expected for Bayern, with Müller returning to the hosts' starting XI, while Sané gets the nod over Gnabry out wide. 

For Dortmund, Sancho, Guerreiro and Reyna didn't make the flight to Bavaria after injuries, meaning Thorgan Hazard gets a first start since October in the league after recovering from a thigh injury. Dan-Axel Zagadou also starts, he's only played 170 league minutes all season. Dahoud continues in midfield while Schulz and Meunier are the fullbacks. Brandt can only make the bench.

-- Stat attack

Our social media team have put together a few comparisons ahead of the big one. Have to say I'm surprised to see Haaland that close to Davies in terms of top speed, though the Canadian's acceleration is surely faster than the Norwegian. Right?

Hummels is another interesting aspect. In German tabloid Bild, it's been suggested Flick wants his team to press the ex-Bayern man aggressively and stop him playing any long balls to Haaland that can turn the Bayern defense around, one to watch out for.

-- RB Leipzig look to turn up heat

Bayern's patchy form since returning from the Club World Cup (four points from three games) means RB Leipzig have the chance to rise to the top of the table, if they can win at Freiburg one of five 15:30 kickoffs on Saturday.

Julian Nagelsmann has dropped Willi Orban and Justin Kluivert for Amadou Haidara and last week's late hero Alexander Sorloth.

-- Dortmund without trio

Dortmund's worst fears have been confirmed. Jadon Sancho will not travel to Munich, neither will Raphael Guerreiro and Gio Reyna. Sancho, who has three goals and two assists in the last five league games, failed to recover from the knock he picked up in the midweek German Cup win over Gladbach. It's safe to say Dortmund's tough task just got that bit tougher.

-- Flick on Dortmund

Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick said he's looking forward to this one in his press conference. He praised Dortmund but threw in a casual reference to their underwhelming league position....

"Games against Dortmund are always special for us. The games are always at a high level. Dortmund are not in the top 3 currently but they have a good team and have shown their quality again in the past few weeks. They have experienced players and talented youngsters."

-- Team news

Bayern are likely to welcome back Thomas Müller, who has been missing since testing positive for coronavirus during the Club World Cup but are still missing Douglas Costa, who is on the comeback trail and Corentin Tolisso while Hansi Flick confirmed Benjamin Pavard will miss out. Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane are both back and firing, which gives Hansi Flick a selection dilemma on the opposite wing to Kingsley Coman.

Their opponents could be without their own in-form winger, with Jadon Sancho picking up a knock in the midweek German Cup win against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Raphaël Guerreiro also went off injured in the same match. "We'll have to wait and see," said head coach Edin Terzic on the pair's fitness. It could be tight for both of them, but we're not giving up hope."

-- Welcome!

This one might not be the title-defining match it's been in a number of recent seasons, but its significance remains huge. Dortmund, who have won four in a row now while they wait for incoming coach Marco Rose, need Champions League football badly but have plentsy of work to do to get it, they're three points of Eintracht Frankfurt in fourth. Bayern are, as usual, top of the tree but could be second by the time this one kicks off at 18:30 on Saturday if RB Leipzig win in Freiburg.

Bayern have dominated this fixture in recent years, winning the last six at the Allianz Arena by score lines of 4-0, 5-0, 6-0, 4-1, 5-1 and 2-1. There's plenty more on where the sides are right now in our match preview.