BVB legends beat Bayern in Brasil

''I know all too well from my time in Dortmund: as a Black & Yellow, you always want to beat Bayern Munich,'' said Lucas Barrios, the two-goal hero for BVB on Sunday evening. ''That's why I was so happy to get the win in the third-place match today. Black & Yellow still runs through my veins. I would love to keep playing for the BVB legends side. Thank you, Borussia,'' added Barrios. It was a particularly memorable occasion for the Brazilian contingent in the legends team, with Dede, Amoroso, Evanilson & co. all relishing the opportunity to turn out for BVB in their home country. 

The BVB legends got off to the perfect start against Bayern. The clock barely read two minutes when Barrios powered home a header from a precise Mohamed Zidan corner to propel the Black & Yellows into a 1-0 lead. Down the other end, Borussia goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller had to have his wits about him to deny Giovane Elber's eye-catching overhead kick. The Bayern select featuring luminaries such as Ivica Olic, Zé Roberto and Luca Toni admittedly saw more of the ball in the early stages, but BVB looked more dangerous going forward and seemed to have the boisterous local crowd behind them.

Legends' coach Heinrich: ''We got the win we deserved''

Within five minutes of the opening goal, Jan Koller used all of his towering 2.02 metres of height to overpower Lúcio in the air and lay the ball down at the feet of Barrios, who made no mistake in firing past Bayern keeper Tom Starke to grab his second goal and double the BVB lead. In the 12th minute, Koller was once again at the heart of things: the big Czech sprinted from deep in his own half to get on the end of a long ball, which he took down with aplomb before finding the back of the net to make it 3-0. ''We were very disciplined in the way we approached the match,'' said BVB legends' coach Jörg Heinrich. ''We were able to hit them on the counter with speed, create a lot of chances and, in the end, we got the win we deserved.''

But Bayern were certainly able to make life difficult for the men in Black & Yellow. Two goals in quick succession from Zvjezdan Misimovic (27) and Ivica Olic (31) cut the BVB lead down to just a single goal. Something of a shock moment occurred in the second half: Dede was unfortunate to be struck on the head by a Sergio free-kick. The Borussia number 17 was shaken up and had to be withdrawn from action. Bayern pushed hard for an equaliser and threatened the BVB goal on several occasions. 

Not long before the final whistle, Roman Weidenfeller and Patrick Owomoyela combined to keep out Miroslav Klose and thus preserve the slim BVB lead. ''We ran out of steam a bit in the last ten minutes, but a win over Bayern always feels great,'' said Jörg Heinrich after his team's final match in the Legends Cup. Roman Weidenfeller's excellent performances were recognised through the awarding of the prize for best goalkeeper of the tournament. 

German World Cup winners reunited in Brazil

The trip was the BVB Legends' third overseas adventure: previous outings brought them to Hong Kong to face Liverpool and Thailand to play Buriram United, but the Brasil trip marked the Black & Yellows' first involvement in a tournament. The BVB Legends lost 2-0 in their opening match against a Barcelona side featuring Deco, Javier Saviola and Gaizka Mendieta. Bayern, for their part, were also defeated 2-0 in their tournament opener, going down to eventual winners São Paulo.

The tournament witnessed various memorable moments away from the pitch, including a reunion of German World Cup winners Miroslav Klose and Roman Weidenfeller. Both players no doubt took the opportunity to reminisce on their exploits on Brazilian soil five years ago. It's a good thing the Bayern and Borussia legends seem to get on so well - throughout the tournament, the two sides were forced to share a dressing room.