Dortmund holds their nerve to show Bayern they are in a real title race. “There is only one competition left,” remarked Sebastian Kehl, the sporting director of Borussia Dortmund. But the race is fully underway. On a Bundesliga Super Saturday, which was more of a Squeaky Bum Saturday, to paraphrase Sir Alex Ferguson, that had not always been a guarantee. Even outside of Borussia Dortmund, there were jitters.
Joshua Kimmich clinched both fists and yelled at the Freiburg fans 500 kilometers to the south as Bayern Munich managed to retain the status quo in the title battle, drawing scorn from all quarters. The stadium announcer had the audacity to applaud Christian Streich’s team for eliminating the league champions from the German Cup, which the captain claimed was “provocation.” The closest Kimmich got to apologizing was by saying, “I let myself get carried away.”
Dortmund holds the nerve to show Bayern they are in a real title race
The moment of truth should come at this time of year, but with the prolonged winter break for the World Cup, we’re not quite as far advanced as we believe in every major European league. There are still seven games left, and hopefully, there will be many twists. What’s amazing is that a true fight is starting to break out for the first time in a while. It appears that the Bundesliga champion is still up for grabs.
Just around 4.50 p.m. local time, there was a brief period when it appeared that might not be the case. Matthijs de Ligt’s spectacular strike into the top-left corner of Mark Flekken’s goal gave Bayern the lead and the opportunity to regain a two-point lead in the standings. Then, BVB’s worst worries came true. They had performed admirably in their matchup with the perpetually uncomfortable Union, but they blew opportunities to disappear and paid the price.
The Berliners’ first shot on goal was successful thanks to a fantastic combination between Kevin Behrens and Sheraldo Becker that resulted in the former closing in on Gregor Kobel. Urs Fischer was going to hook Behrens when Jamie Leweling, who had been stripped, and fellow substitute Paul Seguin were waiting for him on the sidelines. Dortmund was about to fall four points behind Bayern thanks to Behrens’ decisive final touch. At this point, the lead may not be completely decisive, but it is removing the much-needed drama from the chase.
