Bayern Munich took a step closer to their eighth consecutive Bundesliga title when they secured a 0-1 win over Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Joshua Kimmich‘s sole goal was enough to hand the Bavarians a crucial three points in the German top flight. The win means they are now seven points clear at the top of the league standings and require only four more wins from their final six games to taste glory once again.
Borussia Dortmund squandered a great opportunity to put a dent in their rivals’ title defence and are now sitting three points ahead of third-placed RB Leipzig, who have a game in hand, at second place.
With the highly-anticipated Der Klassiker all done and dusted, we take a look at the best and worst performers from the fixture:
Hit: Alphonso Davies
Alphonso Davies added further momentum to his breakout campaign as he emerged as one of the best performers for Bayern Munich in a game where the perennial Bundesliga champions crucially needed a win to sustain their title defence this season.
Deployed on the left side of the defence, the 19-year-old used his blistering pace and marauding runs to control his flank on both ends of the pitch. He provided a secondary creative impetus in the final third and was rock-solid in defensive areas, with Borussia Dortmund players failing to exploit any of the spaces he occasionally left while on his offensive ventures.
The Canadian teenager made more sprints (42) than any other player on the pitch and registered a record top speed of 35.27km per hour during the game. He was also involved in a series of successful challenges but was harshly booked for bringing down Gio Reyna later in the game.
One of Davies’ notable moments came in the first half when he used his lightning pace to catch up to Norwegian sensation Erling Haaland and deny him a clear goalscoring chance.
Flop: Ashraf Hakimi
Achraf Hakimi may be considered one of the most promising young talents to play in the right-back position but he largely failed to live up to the billing against Bayern Munich.
The 21-year-old defender was dominated by the incredible Alphonso Davies for the entirety of the game as the Canadian youngster left him for dead on multiple occasions. The Bayern Munich star was often seen pushing his opponent back and asserting his dominance in the vacant spaces often left behind by the Morrocan.
Hakimi also had a tough time trying to contain Serge Gnabry, who created several problems for the right side of the defence, even coming close to getting his name on the scoresheet in the 20th minute before his shot was cleared off the line.
Hit: Joshua Kimmich
Joshua Kimmich has once again proven that he is a big-game player as he stepped up to score the winning goal for Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old midfielder took his time to settle into the game but soon began taking charge of the play in the middle of the park. He was composed in possession and ensured that he was always available for any kind of dynamic attacking play with the likes of Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski.
The Germany international’s shining moment unsurprisingly came when he beat Erling Haaland to the ball at the edge of the opposition’s box and displayed brilliant technique to send a spectacular 20-yard chip into the top left-hand corner. He has now scored three Bundesliga goals from outside the penalty area this season, which is more than any other player at Bayern Munich.
Flop: Erling Haaland
Borussia Dortmund’s popular January signing endured a frustrating afternoon at Signal Iduna Park as he struggled to finish off chances and failed to make his usual impact on the game against Bayern Munich. His flat-footedness also helped Bayern Munich recover a loose ball on the edge of the area, ultimately leading to the winning goal from Joshua Kimmich.
Haaland enjoyed an action-packed first half but his entire performance culminated only in an attempted scissor kick which unsuccessfully trickled towards goal. He seemed unusually nervous in front of goal and was blatantly inattentive when he headed the ball into the net from a clear offside position early in the opening half.
The Norwegian had another effort deflected wide by Jerome Boateng’s elbow in the second half but the incident was controversially not considered worthy of a penalty. He was then substituted after picking up an injury to finish off what was an underwhelming performance by his standards.
Hit: Mats Hummels
Following an injury scare during their 2-0 win at Wolfsburg over the weekend, Mats Hummels returned to marshal the Borussia Dortmund defence on Tuesday and brought some assurance to a back-line who was more than conscious about the tremendous attacking threat of their opponents.
The 31-year-old defender emerged as the winner in his personal battle with Robert Lewandowski as he managed to keep the Polish talisman subdued for the majority of the game. Together with Lukasz Piszczek, he made important challenges and interceptions for the Dortmund giants and was the commanding figure behind his side’s ability to keep most of the Bayern Munich attackers at bay.
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