The title race was over, and now it’s even more over. As has been the case far too often over the last decade+, Borussia Dortmund could not overcome their challengers from Bavaria, despite coming out of the first half with a 1-0 lead and tying the game again with less than 10 minutes to play. A late goal from Joshua Kimmich proved the decisive blow, both in the match and in the Bundesliga. Another season without a trophy.
It was a close game, and BVB put up a good fight. Nico Schlotterbeck struck
the net off a set piece cross by Svensson in the first half, but erased that goodwill later in the game by conceding a penalty by committing a foul on Josip Stanisic. Daniel Svensson would equalize late in the game with a brilliant volley off a Marcel Sabitzer cross, but Kimmich’s finish off a rebound in the 87th put Bayern up for good.
Here are my man of the match candidates:
Daniel Svensson
Had a goal and an assist, and defended very well all game against Michael Olise. He thankfully did not tear a ligament (as far as we know) during his backflip celebration.
Emre Can
Can defended very well during the first half before he needed to come off with an injury. In his 44 minutes he won 4/4 of his ground duels, had two tackles, three clearances, and two interceptions.
Fabio Silva
Silva could have had an assist when, in the 34th minute, he pounced on a loose misplayed ball from Dayot Upamecano. He played a centering pass right to Maxi Beier, who unfortunately couldn’t get the ball out of his feet. He again almost picked out Beier in the 56th minute with a near-post cross that Beier sent just wide.
Marcel Sabitzer
Sabitzer assisted Daniel Svensson’s goal and had several really good long-balls throughout the match. He also finished second on the team in defensive contributions.
