Making the trip to rural Germany on Tuesday night looking to claim their first piece of silverware since opening the 2021/22 campaign last week, Bayern Munich managed to make more Super Cup history.
With Borussia Dortmund backed by a noisy home support at Signal Iduna Park, the defending Bundesliga champions secured what was a lively 3-1 win on the road as they lifted their ninth DFB crown.
With Bayern’s Polish superstar helping himself to a brace and Thomas Muller also getting in on the act, new Bavarians boss Julian Nagelsmann also got his hands on his first title since making the move to Munich over the summer.
A squad that is looking to write themselves into Bundesliga folk law this season, we have taken a look at the major talking points from Tuesday’s Super Cup finale.
Bayern find their groove
Opening the defence of their domestic crown last weekend and having to settle for a 1-1 draw away at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern made the trip to rural Germany in midweek as a side seeking a boost.
Coming under some scrutiny for their pre-season preparations and signing off their run with a 3-0 drumming at the hands of Italian outfit Napoli, Nagelsmann would have been glad to have seen his side put in a far more polished display at Signal Iduna Park.
With Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn watching on from the stands, the former RB Leipzig boss saw his new squad dominate from the opening exchanges as they forced Dortmund into a string of errors at the back.
Almost opening the scoring with just 15 minutes on the clock as Kingsley Coman blazed over from close range, Nagelsmann was right to praise his side’s high-tempo display on the road.
Laying down just the marker that they would have been hoping for away at their bitter rivals, despite Manuel Neuer being forced into a pair of smart saves on either side of the break, Bayern now have their sights set on making more history.
Already priced as low at 3/10 with Betfair to defend their Bundesliga crown this season, another domestic success would be the 10th straight German title that the former European champions have claimed.
Lewandowski 2-0 Haaland
While Tuesday’s Super Cup might have seen a host of Europe’s top stars on display, there is no doubt that all of the headlines prior to kick-off were around the battle between two men at opposite ends of the pitch.
However, paying tribute ahead of the game to former Bayern icon Gerd Müller who passed away over the weekend, Robert Lewandowski came out on top in his personal contest against Erling Haaland.
Only underlining his reputation as one of the most clinical marksmen from across the continent, Munich’s superstar #9 opened the scoring five minutes before the break as he finished Serge Gnabry’s cross with a bullet header.
Only growing into the game as Haaland cut a frustrated figure up the other end, Lewandowski wasn’t done there as he pounced on another schoolboy mistake from Manuel Akanji late into the second-half.
Wrapping up proceedings as he slotted past a helpless Gregor Kobel, Tuesday’s showdown at Signal Iduna Park will be one that the highly-touted Norweigan will be looking to forget.
Often left isolated and having to feed off of scraps, Haaland was denied by the onrushing Neuer moments before Lewandowski opened the scoring in the first-half. However, despite a chance late on, the 21-year-old failed to get much of a sight in front of Bayern’s goal.
Failing to add to his tally after opening the 2021/22 campaign with five goals in back-to-back matchups, Haaland will now have his sights set on snatching the Bundesliga Golden Boot.
Dortmund come crashing back down to earth
Welcoming fans back to Signal Iduna Park last weekend as they opened the new season against Eintracht Frankfurt on home soil, Borussia Dortmund headed into Tuesday’s contest smelling a golden chance to lay down their own marker.
Knowing they held a stellar Super Cup record against the defending champions in rural Germany, new BVB boss Marco Rose saw his side fail to find a similar level that saw them cruise to a thumping 5-2 romp against The Eagles three days ago.
Making a string of costly mistakes at the back and really struggling to fill the void left by both Mats Hummels and Raphaël Guerreiro, the former Borussia Mönchengladbach coach could have had few complaints in midweek.
While skipper and talisman Marco Reus might have sent the vocal home support into overdrive as he curled home a sublime effort with 25 minutes left on the clock, Rose will still be ruing another fragile performance at the back.
With almost 60% of Bayern’s first-half attacks coming directly at a nervy Felix Passlack, fans in rural Germany will know that their side must bounce back if they’re to find a way to stop their bitter rivals from breaking even more Bundesliga records.
Hoping that summer arrival Donyell Malen can find his feet after another sluggish cameo performance off the bench, Dortmund will be desperate to find a morale boost when they make the trip to Freiburg this weekend.
Match Report
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel (6), Passlack (4), Witsel (6), Akanji (5.5), Schulz (6), Bellingham (6.5), Dahoud (7), Reyna (7), Reus (8), Haaland (6.5), Moukoko (6.5)
Subs: Malen (4), Pašalić (5.5), Wolf (5), Reinier (6)
Bayern Munich: Neuer (8), Stanišić (6.5), Upamecano (6.5), Sule (7), Davies (7), Goretzka (7), Kimmich (7.5), Muller (8), Gnabry (8), Coman (5), Lewandowski (8.5)
Subs: Sane (5), Tolisso (5.5), Musiala (7), Choupo-Moting (4), Sarr (N/A)
Goals: Borssia Dortmund: Reus’ 64 – Bayern Munich: Lewandowski 41′, 74′, Muller 49′
Yellow Cards: Borssia Dortmund: Reus, Dahoud – Bayern Munich: Sule, Sane, Choupo-Moting
Red Cards: N/A
Referee: Sascha Stegemann
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