For what feels like the first time this season, Borussia Dortmund has gained ground on Bayern Munich. In Bavaria, the perennial titleholders dropped three points to Augsburg. In Berlin, Borussia Dortmund visited
a stout Union Berlin side and walked away with all three points. Kovac’s men entered this match desperately needing an injection of morale after getting stomped by Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday. In an effort to experiment, Serhou Guirassy was deployed alongside Fabio Silva and Maximillian Beier to great effect.
Borussia Dortmund began on the defensive after Union Berlin forced a save from Kobel following a setpiece. The seventh minute saw a fantastic run by Serhou Guirassy who beat Union’s goalkeeper, Frederik Ronnow, to the ball to earn a penalty. Club Capitan, Emre Can, stepped up and converted his fourteenth career penalty – a perfect record. Dortmund kept the pressure up and should have scored minutes later when Felix Nmecha squared the ball to Guirassy… who failed to put it away under pressure. Union Berlin built themselves back into the game but their chances were limited to set-pieces throughout the first half.
The second half started much like the first one, with a flurry of attacks from Borussia Dortmund. Jobe Bellingham almost scored in the 52nd minute but Ronnow saved his deflected shot. The ensuing corner saw Nico Schlotterbeck rise above the rest and expertly score a header from the tightest of angles. Dortmund now have three set-piece goals in the second half of the season. Maximillian Beier put the nail in the coffin in the 82nd minute after a great pass by Jobe and even better finishing.
Here are the highlights:
Here are my takeaways:
Dortmund Gain on Bayern
I do not typically like to talk about other matches in the Post-Match but in a season where Bayern Munich were seemingly unstoppable, everyone’s least-favorite Bundesliga team rose to the occasion. FC Augsburg left Munich’s Allianz Arena with three points and handed Vincent Kompany his first Bundesliga loss since a 2-3 to Bochum in March of 2025. Don’t get it twisted – Bayern are still going to walk the league. The two losses mentioned in this paragraphs were the only Bundesliga defeats in a 29 match span. Still, it proves that Bayern Munich are mortal.
For Borussia Dortmund, the Bayern result paints a interesting picture. Dortmund are still eight points behind Munich and Opta still gives Bayern a 98.29% chance to win the league. The interesting part comes, however, when you see that both Bayern and Dortmund have only one loss this season. For all of Dortmund’s flaws and the obvious talent advantage, they are yet to be beaten by a Bundesliga team not named Bayern Munich. If they can continue to win and get revenge when der Klassiker comes to Westphalia, there may be a chance for the greatest comeback in our lifetime.
The Goals are Here
While both Bayern and Dortmund have only one loss, there is a serious discrepancy in firepower between the two sides. The good news for Dortmund, however, is that the team has found it’s composure in front of goal in recent weeks. 14 goals across Dortmund’s last five games is only beaten by Bayern’s tally over that same stretch. The interesting note is that both Guirassy and Silva started this match and played fairly well. Silva looked particularly lively in the opening half and displayed a willingness to put in the dirty work. He was tracking back, winning the ball, and unselfish in the final third. Guirassy obviously benefited playing alongside Silva and showed a slight return to form. The Guinean striker did very well to earn Dortmund’s opening penalty and was vital in the buildup throughout the match. The only worry about Guirassy is his shooting – he only recorded one shot (off-target) throughout the match despite having several opportunities.
Kobel Puts in a Silently Good Game
The xG tally between Dortmund and Union Berlin tell a different story than the final score. Dortmund scored 3 goals to Union Berlin’s 0 but only 1.89 to Union Berlin’s 1.24. Well-taken goals on one end of the pitch are only half the story as Gregor Kobel quietly put in a man-of-the-match performance. The Swiss keeper made three saves throughout the match with the most impressive coming in the 27th minute. More importantly, Kobel was active in claiming crosses that entered the box.
Your Thoughts
Let us know what you though of this match below!
