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A tightly-fought encounter at the Allianz Arena saw Bayern Munich clinch the DFL Super Cup for 2020 over their closest rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Goals by Dortmund attackers Julian Brandt and Erling Haaland were cancelled out by Corentin Tolisso, Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich as Bayern lifted their fifth trophy of this calendar year.
Bayern Munich started the game like the champions of Europe - dominant and straightforward. The game was dominated by Alphonso Davies and Kingsley Coman on the left flank as the pace of the duo kept Borussia Dortmund on their toes throughout the opening phase of the game.
The first crack in the wall was duly delivered by Bayern Munich just before the 18th minute. As Borussia Dortmund's entire squad attacked a corner at the Bayern post, a world-class counter-attack was initiated by Davies at the edge of the box which culminated in a three-versus-two situation for the visitors at the back. An unselfish Robert Lewandowski squared in a pass for Corentin Tolisso who took two simultaneous shots on goal, only for the second to go in.
The Bundesliga champions were quick to deal the second blow too. Just 14 minutes after Tolisso's opening goal, Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies found Thomas Muller at the back-post. The German veteran was too strong for Borussia Dortmund newbie Felix Passlack and headed home to double the Bavarians' lead.
Just on the brink of 40 minutes, a mistake by Bayern Munich near their defensive third meant that the front-three of Borussia Dortmund could take their rare chance in the game. Face-to-face with Manuel Neuer in the box, Julian Brandt, who has been recently criticised for his inefficiency in front of goal, silenced his haters with a perfectly weighted shot behind the German number one.
As Bayern Munich won the first half by two goals to one, the second half was a different story altogether. Contrary to everyone's expectations, Borussia Dortmund switched up the gear and totally took the game to Bayern Munich. Their efforts were rewarded as a perfectly slotted pass by Thomas Delaney was finished by Erling Haaland in ruthless fashion in the 55th minute. It was game on.
In what was a half dominated by the Black and Yellow, Bayern Munich ultimately had the last laugh. As the creator of the first goal Thomas Delaney slipped in the centre of the Allianz Arena, Joshua Kimmich was quick to pick up the ball and start the counter-attack. After exchanging passes with Polish goal-machine Robert Lewandowski, Kimmich's shot was saved by Marwin Hitz just for the rebound to strike the Bayern number six's ankle and win the game for the treble-winners.
The game ended with a majority of the senior stars being taken off for this weekend's Bundesliga action. As the young guns of the two top German clubs took to the field, Bayern Munich saw out the game with flair and lifted their fifth trophy of 2020 at their home, the Allianz Arena.
#1 Borussia Dortmund's lack of clinicality inside the box
Despite scoring two goals against the mighty Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund must be really ruing their missed chances after the game. Belgian full-back Thomas Meunier missed a fantastic opportunity in the second half as he blasted his shot over the goal without disturbing Manuel Neuer.
Erling Haaland, who equalised for Dortmund in the second half, also had a beautiful chance when he came one-on-one with Neuer. However, a similar approach like his first goal meant that it was too predictable for the Bayern stopper to make a match-winning block from close range.
There were also a couple more opportunities right at the dying moments of the game which could have been capitalised by the visitors. Lucien Havre's reactions at the touchline summed it up perfectly as Borussia Dortmund lost a game which they could have won 4-3 if they would have taken their chances.
#2 Bayern Munich struggle to build from the back
To be fair, Bayern Munich didn't deserve to win this game. The European champions were nowhere near their best, especially in the second half. A lack of communication between centre-backs Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez was evident as they let the Borussia Dortmund attackers slip into their gaps throughout the game.
With David Alaba's Bayern Munich career coming to a prospective end and Jerome Boateng ageing rapidly, the Bundesliga giants really need to find the perfect back-four that can maintain the legacy of their predecessors - especially in the centre.
Bayern Munich tried to build from the back multiple times during the game but were sloppy right into their defensive third. Even Manuel Neuer committed a few errors as he passed the ball into the Dortmund players' feet on numerous occasions. As the golden era of Bayern Munich enters its peak, cracks are starting to appear in the Bavarians' system.
#3 Kimmich's tirelessness and persistence comes to the fore
Undoubtedly the man of the match, Joshua Kimmich lived up to the legacy of Thiago Alcantara after taking up his 'number-six' jersey at Bayern Munich.
The Germany international, who had scored the sole goal in Bayern's win over Dortmund in May, tore through the away side's midfield in the last 10 minutes of the game to score the winner. What was interesting though is that Kimmich's persistence and hard work shone through, with the 25-year-old scoring from a rebound of his own shot behind Marwin Hitz's goal.
Known as the successor of the legendary Philipp Lahm at Bayern Munich and for Germany, there is no doubt that Kimmich lived up to the expectations with a 91% passing success rate and a 100% long ball success rate tonight.
#4 Erling Haaland single-handedly takes on Bayern Munich
A lonely figure in the Bayern Munich area for most of the first half, Erling Haaland really took matters in his own hands as he was a total menace for the home side's back-four.
Running towards the centre-back duo of Hernandez and Sule with all his might, the fearless young striker was a live wire creating action for a Dortmund team which sort of lacked motivation for the majority of the game.
After assisting Julian Brandt for the first goal, Haaland scored the second to level things up at the Allianz Arena. Even after the goal, his hunger for a winner continued as he had another three shots in the game, with one of them almost being converted if not for Manuel Neuer's excellent stop.
The Dortmund camp will have a lot of positives to take from Haaland's performance, and one can only hope that they will build upon the same.
#5 Bayern Munich are a league above Borussia Dortmund
This was not one of the best nights for Hansi Flick's men for sure. Despite a pretty average performance, the champions of Europe won the game and lifted another trophy in 2020.
It is worth mentioning that Bayern Munich lacked many of their first-team regulars in the starting eleven. Without their key personnel, the Super Cup winners still looked better than their closest German challengers on the pitch.
The versatility in the Bayern Munich team that started this game was just unbelievable. As Alphonso Davies kept switching between a wing-back and a full-back, right centre-back Lucas Hernandez filled in for Davies in the right-back role.
Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski took turns to drop deep into the midfield so that the other two attackers could find space behind the Dortmund defence. Joshua Kimmich was omnipresent on the field and Javi Martinez was the fifth defender in the Bayern wall.
Bayern Munich just seem light years ahead of not only Dortmund but also of all the other German clubs. With an insane squad depth which runs deep into their youth system, they could literally field another squad in the Bundesliga and still wouldn't finish in the bottom half. A few more incoming personnel, and this team from the red half of Munich could be invincible for years to come.
