Bayern in a better place ahead of decider
Almost from the off the Bundesliga champions needed to play catch-up, with Bayern Munich enjoying a dream start — a record eight straight wins, conceding just two goals, and with the psychological advantage of beating Dortmund in the super cup.
Dortmund also had the toughest Champions League going with Real Madrid, Ajax and Manchester City, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that Jurgen Klopp’s side gradually began to focus on Europe. Fourteen points dropped by early November more or less decided it, and that included matches against straggling Nuremberg and Stuttgart.
Even so, Saturday’s match seemed virtually set up for them.
Hoffenheim have been clinging on to top-flight status for months, with the worst away record in the league. They needed a win just to secure a play-off place. They conceded after only six minutes — an easy tap-in for Robert Lewandowski — and the 80,000 spectators in the Signal-Iduna-Park sat back in happy anticipation, apart from a few apprehensive Hoffenheimers.
Dortmund dominated, but as in the Premier League these last-ditch battles in Germany can turn when the players with their backs to the wall learn there is a chance of survival.
Before half-time the news filtered through that Fortuna Dusseldorf, Hoffenheim’s relegation rivals, had also fallen behind. Dortmund’s failure to convert their superiority into goals began to give their opponents confidence. On came the burly Sven Schipplock and then suddenly the home defence seemed to lose their heads.
First Mats Hummels gave away a penalty. Then Schipplock stormed into the penalty area and was brought down by veteran keeper Roman Weidenfeller. Off went Weidenfeller and up stepped Hoffenheim hero Sejad Salihovic to convert his second penalty.
Defeat then threatened to turn even worse for Dortmund as Hummels limped off with what looked like a nasty ankle injury. To have their best defender sidelined against Bayern would be a huge blow to the underdogs: fortunately for them it looks like a simple sprain rather than anything more serious.
Dortmund can no doubt brush off a defeat like this, even on the eve of the most momentous game in their history. It’s not the first time they have stumbled this season. “What’s done is done,” said Lewandowski afterwards. “The final will be a totally different game, you can be sure of that.”
However, the psychological edge is definitely going to be with Bayern.
They followed up that super cup win by beating Dortmund in the cup, and while the two league games were drawn Bayern managed to hold on for half an hour when down to ten men earlier this month. Their confidence will also have been boosted by the way they came back against the other Borussia on Saturday.
By contrast with the drama at the end in Dortmund their game in Moenchengladbach had an extraordinary opening 20 minutes — by which time the score was already 3-2 to the home side. Manuel Neuer had only conceded four league goals away from home all season but Bayern’s normally ironclad defence had an insane five minutes at the start and for a while it threatened to continue.
Jupp Heynckes, back at the ground where he started his career, must have delivered an inspirational address at half-time. Bayern reasserted their authority and scored twice inside five minutes through their flying wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. It was Ribery’s match — he played a part in all four goals — but from the team point of view just the kind of statement they wanted to make.
Afterwards Heynckes was, not surprisingly, emotional. The Gladbach supporters had greeted him as one of their own almost 50 years after his debut as a player, and he broke down in tears at the post-match press conference, with fans staying behind in the stadium to hear the live broadcast. With that sort of charge Bayern will be even firmer favourites at Wembley.
