DFB Cup
Bayern hold off late BVB fightback to see out 2-1 win
Reigning champions Borussia Dortmund have been knocked out of the DFB Cup following a 2-0 (2-1) defeat at FC Bayern Munich in the Round of 16. In what was a largely one-sided affair, the Black & Yellows initially offered little going forward but will ultimately have left the Allianz Arena with their heads held high after launching a fightback in the closing stages in which they came very close to restoring parity.
Dennis-Julian Gottschlich reporting
A sell-out crowd of 69,344 fans at the Allianz Arena saw Bayern come racing out of the blocks and take the lead through Boateng on the 12-minute mark, having already spurned a number of earlier chances. Alaba kept the lead intact by clearing Yarmolenko's effort – BVB's only real opportunity of the opening 45 minutes – off the line after 35 minutes, before Müller deservedly doubled the advantage for the dominant hosts five minutes later (40). The Bavarians continued to boss proceedings after the restart – but Borussia launched a late fightback, pulling one back through Yarmolenko with 13 minutes remaining, and would have levelled if Toljan (80), Schürrle (85) and Isak had converted chances in the final minutes.
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The scenario:
"For me personally, it's a real highlight. Finishing the year with a Cup tie between Dortmund and Bayern tops it all off," said Peter Stöger in the run-up to the Klassiker in Munich, where BVB knew they would be underdogs but fancied their chances nonetheless. After all, the Black & Yellows already had two recent semi-final victories in Munich to their name (2015 and April this year), as well as three wins over the Bavarians in the league at the Allianz Arena since it opened in 2005. That makes them the only club to have won five times in FCB's new stadium.
Personnel matters:
In addition to Larsen, Philipp, Castro, Götze, Piszczek, Reus, Rode and Durm, Aubameyang was unavailable to Peter Stöger after failing to shake off a hip problem in time. He was replaced by Bartra in what was otherwise the same XI that had started the previous matches against Hoffenheim and Mainz. Bayern, meanwhile, were still without the injured Neuer, Robben, Thiago and Früchtl, as well as Hummels, who was ill.
Tactics:
Stöger set his side up in a 3-5-2 formation with Yarmolenko playing in the hole behind Pulisic. They were supported by a five-man midfield with Schmelzer (left) and Toljan (right) on the flanks, though the wing backs dropped into defence to form a back five whenever the Bavarians had possession. Defensively, then, they were in a 5-4-1 system that struggled to deal with Bayern, who lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Martinez as the holding midfield player. Whenever the full-backs pushed forward, wingers Müller and Ribery would drift into the middle of the park to make space for them.
Stöger opted for a tactical reshuffle on the half-hour mark, replacing Bartra with Dahoud and switching to a 4-3-3 system in which Kagawa and Dahoud flanked Weigl in midfield and Yarmolenko (right), Pulisic and Guerreiro formed the front three.
The match & analysis:
FC Bayern came racing out of the blocks, playing a high-pressure game that hardly gave the Dortmund rearguard any breathing space in the opening stages. A Vidal diving header richocheted off the crossbar three minutes in, before Sokratis managed to prevent a James goal (6) and Bürki made two sensational saves to deny Lewandowski (8) and Ribery (11) respectively. But the breakthrough came a minute later when Süle's header was deflected onto the bar by the Dortmund custodian, who was unluckily beaten at the second attempt by a Boateng header, with the Germany centre-back finding himself in enough space to pick his spot and steer the follow-up from seven metres over the line to put the hosts 1-0 ahead (12).
Despite having all eight of the game's chances in the first 18 minutes, the Bavarians subsequently dropped down a gear, albeit while still maintaining control over the match. In fact, there was only one moment of genuine danger in the Black & Yellows' penalty area in what remained of the first half, although the visitors showed little attacking intent of their own in the first 30 minutes. It was not until Bartra was replaced by Dahoud in the 34th minute and Stöger switched the formation to 4-3-3 that the visitors managed to look a little less lethargic and carve out their first clear-cut opportunity. Pulisic beat his man down the flank and fizzed the ball across the face of goal towards Yarmolenko, whose shot was cleared off the line by an Alaba header (35). Unfortunately it was in this period, when BVB had just started to find their feet, that Bayern doubled their lead. Lewandowski played a brilliant one-two with Müller, who dinked the ball over Bürki and into the net as the keeper came racing off his line (40).
Yarmolenko pulls one back
FCB continued to create chances in the opening minutes of the second period, with Bürki making a strong save to deny James (46) and clawing Müller's header off the line four minutes later. He then followed that up with a fingertip save on the 65-minute mark to stop Lewandowski and Vidal getting on the end of a Müller cross. Meanwhile, BVB's first foray forward came in the 56th minute when Kagawa shot wide of the back post from 11 metres out, before Schmelzer came close with a surprise shot from a very narrow angle which Ulreich managed – with difficulty – to push behind for a corner (70). However, it was in the closing stages when the visitors really sprang into life, with Boateng denying Kagawa on 74 minutes before Yarmolenko headed home a cross from the Japan international at the back post to reduce the deficit to 2-1 (77).
With a spring now in their step, the Black & Yellows had the Bavarians penned it and threw everything forward in search of a leveller. Toljan shot narrowly wide of the left post (80), before Schürrle's effort from the edge of the penalty area sailed inches wide of the upright (85). Isak, on as a late substitute, then had a chance from eight metres that took a deflection off Boateng, drifting agonisingly wide (90+2), with Sokratis heading wide from the ensuing corner. In the end though, BVB's fightback came too late and Bayern held on to seal the win.
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Outlook:
Following a year which has involved 53 competitive games, it's time for Borussia Dortmund to take a break. They are next in Bundesliga action on 14 January (18:00 CET), when they visit Wolfsburg.