- Bayern Munich maintained an iron grip over Borussia Dortmund with a 1-0 win opening up a seven-point gap at the top of the standings after Joshua Kimmich’s sole goal.
Following the brutal afternoon of football, Dortmund was determined to maintain a home victory as Erling Haaland tunneled Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer just to see Jerome Boateng clear the ball off the goal line.
As Bayern struggled to gain a foothold into the clash, Dortmund got another chance on target through Julian Brandt in the 4th minute.
As the match progressed, Bayern’s commanding presence was evident as Serge Gnabry made a shot which was unfortunately cleared by Lukasz Piszczek on the goal line 19 minutes into the game.
Bayern’s defense kept an eye on Haaland each time he attempted to approach the goal. Every now and again Dortmund broke through but they lacked in accuracy.
The deadlock was finally broken just before half-time by Kimmich’s wonderful chip from 20 yards as Dortmund goalkeeper, Roman Burki, got his fingertips on the ball but was caught flat footed.
In the second half, Dortmund brought on England’s Jadon Sancho but his efforts did not yield fruits for the hosts.
Neuer was on the lookout as Raphael Guerreiro had a free-kick just outside the penalty area which shoot straight at the keeper. He also denied Mahmoud Dahoud a chance to net. Meanwhile, Burki struggled with a successive attempt from Kingsley Coman and Leon Goretzka.
The home side, created another promising chance but Botang was once again in between to deny Haaland the equalizer from inside the box. Haaland was replaced by Giovanni Reyna with 18 minutes remaining.
Bayern’s defense was firm enough to keep a clean sheet. Robert Lewandowski had a rare chance to double Bayern’s win but ended up shooting against the post which denied him his 28th goal of the season.
“It was an important sign and also a crucial victory for us,” Bayern Munich team captain Manuel Neuer said.
Bayern remains on the top spot with a seven-point advantage meanwhile Dortmund suffered a setback in the title race as they recorded their fifth loss of the season.
