Last Minute Modeste: BVB wins a point against FC Bayern

Munich miss the lead

Borussia Dortmund celebrated an unexpected comeback in the Bundesliga top game and spoiled the at least temporary leap to the top of the table for their big rival FC Bayern Munich. The only 17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko (74th) and Anthony Modeste (90th + 4) saved BVB the 2: 2 (0: 1) against the series champions from Munich, who were still tied, and thus turned the eighth league defeat in a row against the FCB.

FC Bayern had already looked like the sure winner with goals from Leon Goretzka (33rd) and Leroy Sané (53rd). Curious: Both scorers were born in the Ruhr area, as a former Schalke player, games against Dortmund have always been special for them.

The current leaders Union Berlin, who have to play in Stuttgart, or SC Freiburg with a win at Hertha could surpass both Bayern and BVB by four points on Sunday. With Alphonso Davies, who came to the clinic with a suspected concussion, and Matthijs de Ligt, who grabbed his thigh, two Bayern professionals also had to be replaced injured. Davies was hit in the head with his foot by Dortmund’s Jew Bellingham. The Englishman, who had received a warning, was lucky that referee Deniz Aytekin judged the action to be unintentional. But the Munich Kingsley Coman saw the yellow-red card in the final minute for repeated foul play (90th).

As expected, Mats Hummels was fit after his cold and was also in Dortmund’s starting XI, but none of the national defenders Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle had to give way for him. “We decided to let all three play. You’ll see what it looks like then,” said coach Edin Terzic on Sky when asked if he would play with a chain of three. So the answer only came at kick-off: BVB played with a back four, Süle, who came from Munich in the summer, played right-back.

At Bayern, where sports director Hasan Salihamidzic did not travel because of a flu infection, Joshua Kimmich made it into the squad after surviving the corona infection, but not into the starting XI. Then he came to the break. It was already clear beforehand that Thomas Müller would be absent after his corona infection. Just like with BVB captain Marco Reus, who also has a cold in addition to his ligament injury.

Referee Aytekin, who comes from the state of Bavaria, but more precisely from Franconia, and who has also refereed a few Bayern games before, tried to nip all the typical nicknames of this duel in the bud. Contrary to his otherwise rather generous and communicative manner, he showed the first yellow card against Marcel Sabitzer from Munich after just 85 seconds. But the referee put himself under pressure. After 13 minutes he had already issued three warnings.

But that’s not the only reason why the game got off to a bad start in front of 81,365 spectators. Both teams seemed nervous, or at least tense. The game was intense, but both didn’t take too many risks and often played too imprecisely at the crucial moment. The first corner kick came after 17 minutes for Bayern, the first shot on goal four minutes later by Dortmund’s Donyell Malen, it was only one for the statistics. Raphael Guerreiro had the first chance for BVB, whose diagonal shot from 18 meters out was saved by Manuel Neuer (30′). Then the people of Munich had their first one – and used it cold. Malen and Salih Özcan attacked Goretzka too timidly and hit the target with a well-placed low shot from 18 meters.

At the break, Terzic ended the experiment with the three regular central defenders. Hummels left the field, Marius Wolf was at least a practiced right-back who also had BVB’s best chance up to that point (47′). Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann made three changes at half-time, taking out the hapless striker Serge Gnabry and ordering Sadio Mané right up front. The Senegalese also had a huge chance, but headed wide of the empty goal from eight yards out (49′). Two minutes later, the strong Sané made it 0:2. This clarified the balance of power.

But BVB didn’t give up. Terzic brought forward Anthony Modeste, which paid off. The ex-Cologne player played the ball to Moukoko just five minutes after being brought in, who gave Neuer no chance with a well-placed shot. And shortly afterwards Modeste had a huge chance to equalize when he didn’t hit the ball properly from close range (83′). But he did it better in the very last action with his head.

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