Borussia Dortmund gave the Bundesliga title to heated rivals Bayern Munich on a shocking final day in the Bundesliga, a stunning collapse that left a ready-to-party Westfalenstadion in mourners’ status.
Bayern took an early lead through Kingsley Coman at Koln and Dortmund went down 2-0 in the first half versus Mainz, missing a penalty that would’ve tied the score at 1.
Dortmund entered the day with the table lead and dominated Mainz to the tune of 26-7 in shots and 3.64-0.62 in expected goals, but Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Karim Onisiwo’s goals were enough as only Giovanni Reyna’s set-up of Raphael Guerreiro got Dortmund on the board in a 2-1 loss.
Koln briefly gave hope with a penalty equalizer in the 80th minute versus Bayern, but Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute goal put the defending champions back in front.
Dortmund would’ve won the league by matching or bettering Bayern’s result and but Instead hand an 11th-straight Meisterschale to the Bavarians. No one has won more German top-flight titles than Bayern’s 33.
BVB remains on eight Bundesliga titles and remains one behind Nurnberg, which has not won since 1968.
MAINZ TAKE LEAD AT DORTMUND 🇩🇪 If results hold, Bayern win 11th straight German title. Bundesliga scriptwriters trying to one-up Premier League counterparts.pic.twitter.com/dXn5Ruk5If
Managerial starts don’t get much better than Thomas Tuchel’s debut as Bayern Munich boss against former club and Bundesliga title rival Borussia Dortmund.
Thomas Muller scored twice as Bayern ran up a four-goal lead at home and outlasted a few defensive lapses in a 4-2 win that sent the Bavarians back atop the Bundesliga.
BVB is in pursuit of its first Meisterschale since the 2011-12 season, its eighth in history, and opened Saturday with a one point lead on its Klassiker rivals. That’s now a two-point deficit, and Bayern is now in the catbird seat in its bid to claimed an 11th-consecutive league crown.
Bayern still has to contend with the UEFA Champions League’s affecting their domestic chase — Man City’s up next in the quarterfinals — and there’s a German Cup quarterfinal against Freiburg on Tuesday, but Saturday was a huge signal to the rest of the Bundesliga.
Things might not be perfect in Bavaria, but there’s a new boss in town with a 1-0 record where it matters most: against Dortmund and atop the table.
How to watch Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 12:30pm ET, Saturday TV Channel/Online:Stream via ESPN+
Updates: Scoreboard, stats, more at Scoreboard.nbcsports.com
Key storylines & star players
Bayern’s all about controlling the game, and it does so with aplomb thanks to Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka. The side has pace for days and has also gotten monstrous amounts of creativity from Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala. There’s no Robert Lewandowski, but Bayern spreads the goals around through Musiala (11), Choupo-Moting (10), and Serge Gnabry (9). Manuel Neuer’s out, but the club’s quickly filled his space with Yann Sommer.
Dortmund slipped itself a couple of matches ago, a 2-2 draw in the Revierderby, but it bounded back with a 6-1 demolition of Koln. Bundesliga assist hero Raphael Guerreiro scored in that game while Sebastien Haller and Marco Reus both posted braces. Reus remains the heart of the club and has been a boon for Edin Terzic. A wild card is USMNT star Giovanni Reyna, who has posted terrific advanced stats in Bundesliga play but is still mainly just getting 15-20 minute cameos if he plays at all for BVB.
Bayern Munich team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Lucas Hernandez (ACL), Manuel Neuer (leg), Paul Wanner (adductor), Mathys Tel (muscular), Arijon Ibrahimovic (virus).
Chelsea’s been through the ringer over the past two months, and almost all of it has been of its own doing.
But there’s been some question as to whether Graham Potter should be to blame for the mix of new- and old Chelsea failing to find its finish despite finding real resolves in its own end.
Once Tottenham beat Chelsea 2-0 a few weeks ago, the Blues no longer had defensive strength on which to lean and some were saying ex-Brighton boss Potter was out of his depth and soon to be shown the door.
Potter had admitted his struggles to deal with the criticism lobbed his way, but he stayed in his line and kept encouraging his players to deliver the goods.
Boy, did they, although it’s a little comical that Raheem Sterling butchered his first crack at Chelsea’s first goal and Kai Havertz had to retake the penalty that led to 2-0.
Nothing was going to come easy for the Blues, but Chelsea kept fighting and Potter deserves some credit for that.
The Blues are unlikely to qualify for the Champions League in any other matter than winning the competition, but the honest truth is that they very much have looked capable of that over 180 minutes versus a good Dortmund side.
Anything goes in the final 8, and we’ve already seen Chelsea win the European Cup in a down season earlier in the London club’s celebrated existence.
Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund player ratings: Stars of the Show
Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella: Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta was out and Benoit Badiashile ineligible, so the back three was a bit stretched. Wesley Fofana was fine, don’t get us wrong, but Koulibaly and Cucurella had us saying, “Thiago who?” (before quickly answering ourselves, “Thiago Silva. One of the best of his era, duh.”
fotmob.com
Emre Can: Effective at both ends of the pitch as the former Liverpool man did his best to eliminate his former rivals.
Enzo Fernandez: There will come a day when someone will righteously criticize the expensive Argentine, but it won’t be Tuesday: Nine recoveries and four clearances next to a roving Mateo Kovacic.
Kai Havertz: Might’ve not been the tidiest, hitting the post early and missing his first penalty, but the German ran his shorts off and was credited with six recoveries. If anything, he should be lauded for not wilting during this ice-cold run as he’s been the only attacker religiously named starter by Graham Potter.
Giovanni Reyna: The 20-year-old was pulled into action after only five minutes, and was credited with two chances created and came within a brave Chelsea block of scoring shortly after Havertz’s penalty.
What’s next?
Chelsea goes to Leicester City for a 10am ET Saturday scrap with the Foxes.
Dortmund has to dust itself off for a Revierderby at 12:30pm ET Saturday at Schalke.
Graham Potter reaction
Asked how he feels about the win: “I’m not sure! There is a lot of emotion in the end. It was tense in the end but the boys played fantastic. I am delighted for them to get the win and great for everyone here.”
“Inevitably, in life, you’re going to have bad times and good times. I don’t see any other way to look at it. It’s how you react to the bad times, get some perspective and analyze it in the correct way. Things are never bad forever but it felt like that sometimes.”
How to watch Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund live, stream link, kick off time
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 7 at 3pm ET (UPDATE: Kickoff delays to 3:10pm by BVB late arrival) Stats: Via scoreboard on NBCSports.com How to watch: TUDN,Paramount+
Key storylines
This game is Chelsea’s season. This game will define if Graham Potter’s superstars can improve in the final months of the campaign and go on another deep run in the Champions League. They have to stay solid defensively and hope their forwards finally click together. They can beat Dortmund and they showed that in the first leg as they dominated the game, missed several chances and were hit on the counter. Sound familiar, Chelsea fans?
The Blues know if they score in the first half then it’s all systems go but they will be wary of this young Dortmund side who despite a slew of injuries to attacking players, they’re flying right now and have absolutely no fear. If Potter can guide Chelsea to at least the Champions League semifinals then Chelsea’s fans will ease some of the pressure on him, for now. Of course they want to finish in the Premier League’s top four but that seems very unlikely this season so the only way they will be playing in the Champions League next season is by winning this tournament. Expectations are high. First up: let’s see if Chelsea can reach the quarterfinals. Baby steps.
Chelsea team news, lineup options
OUT: N’Golo Kante (hamstring), Thiago Silva (knee), Edouard Mendy (shoulder), Armando Broja (knee), Mason Mount (abdominal/suspension), Cesar Azpilicueta (concussion)
Borussia Dortmund edged past Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last 16 as Karim Adeyemi’s second half strike condemned Graham Potter’s side to a narrow defeat in Germany.
Chelsea missed several golden chances as Joao Felix came the closest to scoring as he hit the crossbar in the first half. The Blues must now overturn the one-goal deficit in the second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 7 to reach the quarterfinals.
Dortmund have now won seven games in a row in all competitions since the World Cup break and Edin Terzic’s talented young team was led by the hugely impressive Jude Bellingham in midfield as they weathered the Chelsea storm and showed superb resilience.
Chelsea have improved defensively but they are still struggling to be clinical, which has been a problem for a long time, and it’s tough to see Potter’s side scoring the two goals they need to advance past Dortmund in normal time in the second leg.
Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea highlights
😱😱😱 ¡Emre Can salva sobre la línea el empate del Chelsea!
How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea live, stream link, kick off time
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 15 at 3pm ET
Online: Live updates via NBCSports.com
How to watch: TUDN,Paramount+
Key storylines
This is a big test for this new-look Chelsea side and they need their new signings to stand up and deliver. Mudryk, Felix and Fernandez have all shown flashes of their brilliance so far and if it clicks, this Chelsea side is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Dortmund have plenty of brilliant talents too and you have to see this is a 50-50 matchup. A few months ago when the draw was made you would have made Chelsea the favorites but their recent struggles and Dortmund’s resurgence make this a very even battle. The midfield area is particularly key in these two games with Bellingham and Fernandez a mouthwatering proposition as two of the best young central midfielders in the world go head-to-head.
Chelsea team news, lineup
OUT: N’Golo Kante (hamstring), Armando Broja (knee), Edouard Mendy (finger), Christian Pulisic (knee), Raheem Sterling (knee)
Gio Reyna let his boots do the talking upon his Bundesliga return.
The Borussia Dortmund and USMNT star, 20, scored the match-winner in a 4-3 defeat of Augsburg on Sunday that keeps BVB very much in the title discussion.
UPDATE: Gio Reyna was at it again on Wednesday, coming off the bench just after the hour mark before scoring the winner in second-half stoppage time. That’s two goals in two games since the Bundesliga returned from the 2022 World Cup break.
GIO REYNA SCORES A STOPPAGE TIME WINNER FOR BORUSSIA DORTMUND!!! 😤
But perhaps more importantly, the American showed his massive talent yet again following a month in which his family traded snipes with his national team coach in an embarrassing fashion following a tough World Cup in Qatar.
Reyna’s been defended by his club and responded with his third goal of the Bundesliga season, all of which have come in his last six matches following a stop-start beginning to the season due to injury.
The American takes down a loose ball and unloads with the outside of his right boot, smashing home the seventh and final goal of a win that boosts Dortmund into sixth place, two points back of second and seven off leaders Bayern Munich.
This moment, like Reyna’s first friendly for Dortmund after the World Cup, righteously brings the football to the fore, and it surely reminds all of the massive talent within the boots of Gio Reyna.
And… is that Memphis Depay’s celebration? The Dutch player famously mentioned as not in the USMNT’s repertoire according to Gregg Berhalter?
Reyna will not be in the fold, nor will most European-based players, when the United States men’s national team meets up with Serbia and Colombia in California later this month. But plenty of intriguing names will be there, including Chelsea goalkeeper Gaga Slonina, Middlesbrough striker Matthew Hoppe, New York Red Bulls left back John Tolkin, and FC Cincinnati’s Brandon Vazquez.
