The new 2012/13 season in German football kicked-off in style with the DFL SUPERCUP 2012 at the Allianz Arena, Munich on Sunday. Reigning Bundesliga champions and German Cup winners Borussia Dortmund faced league and German Cup runners-up FC Bayern Munich.
Bayern are under pressure to deliver after two season’s without any silverware and losing the UEFA Champions League final at home to Chelsea FC. And the Bavarians did their best to record a convincing win against Borussia Dortmund in the German Supercup which was broadcasted live in 199 (!) countries.
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New signing Mario Mandzukic opened the scoresheet for Jupp Heynckes’ men in the 6th minute. French international Franck Ribéry provided a cross from the left side and left Dortmund defender Neven Subotic stunned. Mandzukic took advantage of Subotic’s mistake and slotted home past keeper Roman Weidenfeller.
Dortmund looked uncomfortable and the champions had no answer to the Bavarian supremacy. And Bayern punished Dortmund’s shaky game when Thomas Müller increased the lead in the 11th minute. A Bavarian counter-attack resulted in a well-timed pass by Mandzukic to Arjen Robben and the Dutchman’s shot hit the post before Müller fired home the rebound.
Bayern were the better team and they went to the lemon break with a deserving 2-0 lead. Dortmund looked shaky and at a lack of ideas to challenge the Bayern defenders.
Dortmund improved much more in the second half and the visitors had their first chance of the game in the 49th minute, when Robert Lewandowski tested Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer with a header. But Neuer had no difficultues to save the goal-bound header.
Marco Reus was responsible for Dortmund’s second chance in the match. The newly crowned German Footballer of the Year 2012 [+ read more] unleashed a shot, but the ball missed the target by inches.
Both sides were not looking for a high pace game in the second half in a match which was played at an early stage of the season. Lewandowski wasted another chance for Dortmund, while Robben’s trademark shot from the right was superbly saved by Dortmund’s Weidenfeller.
But Robert Lewandowski found the back of the net in the 75th minute, when he converted an effort from outside the box and gave his side new energy in the final 15 minutes of the game.
Bayern finally managed to refrain the pressure by Dortmund and secured a 2-1 win to clinch the DFL Supercup 2012.
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DFL Supercup 2012 at the Allianz Arena, Munich
FC BAYERN MUNICH 2-1 BORUSSIA DORTMUND
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GOALS1-0 Mario Mandzukic (6′)2-0 Thomas Müller (11′)2-1 Robert Lewandowski (75′)
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LINE-UPS
FC Bayern Munich1-Manuel Neuer; 21-Philipp Lahm, 17-Jerome Boateng, 4-Dante, 36-Emre Can (70′ 28-Holger Badstuber); 39-Toni Kroos, 30-Luiz Gustavo; 10-Arjen Robben (86′ 11-Xherdan Shaqiri), 25-Thomas Müller, 7-Franck Ribéry (81′ 44-Anatoliy Tymoshchuk); 9-Mario Mandzukic
Unused Subs22-Tom Starke; 5-Daniel van Buyten, 14-Claudio Pizarro, 23-Mitchell Weiser
Borussia Dortmund1-Roman Weidenfeller; 26-Lukasz Piszczek, 4-Neven Subotic, 15-Matts Hummels, 29-Marcel Schmelzer; 7-Moritz Leitner (64′ 10-Mario Götze), 8-Ilkay Gündogan; 16-Jakub Blaszczykowski (71′ 23-Julian Schieber), 11-Marco Reus, 19-Kevin Großkreutz (64′ 14-Ivan Perisic); 9-Robert Lewandowski
Unused Subs20-Mitchell Langerak; 24-Chris Löwe, 27-Felipe Santana, 28-Mustafa Amini
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BOOKINGS
Yellow Cards28′ Luiz Gustavo (FC Bayern Munich)37′ Emre Can (FC Bayern Munich)42′ Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund)68′ Mario Mandzukic (FC Bayern Munich)82′ Arjen Robben (FC Bayern Munich)
Yellow-Red Cardsnone
Red Cardsnone
