Dortmund coach Lucien Favre admitted his side had been taught a ‘football lesson’ after their hammering in Munich. DW’s Mark Lovell saw a typically Bayern display and a BVB side who may have blown their biggest chance.Squandering a golden chance to move five points clear at the top, overawed Borussia Dortmund were comprehensively knocked off top spot as champions Bayern Munich handed the deposed Bundesliga leaders a "football lesson” in a ruthless 5-0 Klassiker victory.
A global event, beamed all around the world in over 200 countries, expectations were high that this 100th Bundesliga meeting of the two German heavyweights would live up to its billing. This was the Bundesliga's biggest game since the crunch six pointer decided by Robert Lewandowski's deft backheel when a dramatic late Arjen Robben penalty miss gave Jurgen Klopp's BVB an unassailable lead in 2011/12.
However, with the title up for grabs in Munich, this "Klassiker" (classic) soon became more about "Der "Klassenunterschied" – (the difference in class) as the champions ran rampant while Dortmund visibly wilted under the Munich spotlight. Those millions of viewers worldwide didn't get much of a contest.
BVB have been unceremoniously sent packing on their previous three visits 6-0, 5-1 and 4-1, so once Mahmoud Dahoud's gilt-edged chance brushed past the wrong side of the post in the seventh minute, one sensed a certain air of inevitability about the result, despite this being a far from vintage Bayern side.
And so it proved. First Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski, title winners at Dortmund under Klopp, added insult to injury before Javi Martinez and Serge Gnabry put the game out of reach by the break. Lewandowski's strike took him to 200 Bundesliga goals in only 284 appearances.
Cruise control
With the game in the bag, a tedious second half ensued as Bayern visibly went easy on hapless Dortmund, happy to regularly engage cruise control against a demoralised side. However, in their efforts to rile Lewandowski, Axel Witsel and Thomas Delaney only succeeded into goading the prolific goalscorer into adding the final goal of the evening.
In an act of mercy, referee Manuel Grafe blew his final whistle promptly on 90 minutes, with no added time, to stop Dortmund from receiving further punishment.
A bewildered BVB captain Marco Reus bemoaned his team's inexplicably inept display: "We played and defended catastrophically,” he said. An equally despondent coach Lucien Favre admitted that his side had been given a "football lesson” by a "dominant” Bayern.
Don't forget this was an extremely vulnerable Bayern side who have grabbed draws from the jaws of victory against Bundesliga minnows Fortuna Düsseldorf, Augsburg and Freiburg (twice). Bayern were there for the taking this season. Nico Kovac's ageing squad tottered alarmingly between transition and crisis in the autumn, while Favre's then unbeaten side built up a seemingly impregnable nine point advantage.
After frittering away that lead, Dortmund travelled to the Bavarian capital more in hope than expectation. With Bayern on the brink of rejuvenation following an unprecedented spending spree, this has been perceived by many as Dortmund's last chance to seize the Bundesliga title for the foreseeable future. However, Favre's men collapsed, suffering a massive case of stage fright – not helped by their alarming inability to defend simple crosses into the box. With the visitors overawed by the occasion, typically Bayern seized on their nervous frailty, raising their game on the big Bundesliga occasion, spurred on by a joyous home crowd.
Where does the Bundesliga go from here?
With six games remaining, it's hard to see how Dortmund can recover from this potentially fatal blow to their title hopes. This match promises to have handed their remaining opponents a huge lesson, i.e. regularly pump a few crosses into the box. Having assumed what they consider their rightful position at the top, expect Bayern to kick on from here and seal a magnificent seven in a row. It's how they roll in these parts. At least in the Bundesliga.
Bayern's rebuilding will continue in earnest over the summer with French World Cup winners Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez set to bolster a brittle backline.
The marketing men won't like this, but if Bayern retain their advantage at the top this season, their winning run would seem set to run well into double figures.
Cue louder noises for a European Super League.
