MUNICH – Few things are as open as delivering the Ballon d’Or-winning ball from the penalty spot. So when Harry Kane entered the Allianz Arena in the 56th minute, there was little reason to expect anything other than a goal on a day that seemed tailor-made for him.
Before kickoff, Bayern Munich had turned Der Klassiker into a celebration of Kane’s Ballon d’Or triumph. Kane walked onto the pitch with his family carrying the trophy as Bayern unveiled a huge flag bearing his likeness in the center circle and red and white Bayern flags waved around the pitch. The striker also wore a unique red gold-trimmed Caesar suit to match the game’s latest golden boy.
Yet five days later, after collecting soccer’s most prestigious individual award, Kane fired his penalty against the crossbar, the ball ricocheting back into play rather than over the line.
The mission did not deter Bayern, who went on to pull off 23 shots worth 4.05 goals against Borussia Dortmund’s 12 and 0.63. The numbers reflected their status as an undeniable Bundesliga heavyweight, leaning Dortmund back to longevity as the Allianz Arena swelled with every attack and groaned at all the close misses. Sometimes, though, life comes fast at Bayern. Kane’s penalty was only the first sign that this was not going to be Der Klassiker. A 2-2 draw followed, ensuring the race title survived another weekend and leaving the two sides level on points as they entered the night.
By the numbers, Bayern would have done enough to win and may have left the goal post depressed. Kane was denied from the spot and, deep into stoppage time, Lennart Karl blocked an effort from the edge of the box. However, the army never fully established the inexorable rhythm that became their trademark. Bayern’s chances are generated in waves, but Dortmund repeatedly finds moments to slow down, relieve the pressure and call back their rivals, who never quite complete control of the match as shot chart control. The match ebbed and flowed, with each team enjoying significant stretches of possession, creating tension until the final whistle.
To Dortmund’s credit, they identified the only real way to beat Bayern’s superiority. The visitors did not stop attacking Bayern, an almost impossible task these days. They prevented the match from happening because the snow created Bayern so often. The hosts handled 15 in Dortmund’s penalty area during the opening 37 minutes, a figure consistent with the norms of those seasons, but they need more time and more passes to get there. Dortmund shared possession almost evenly for the first half hour, slowing Bayern’s tempo and scoring them 284. In that space, well below their Bundesliga average of 344.9.
Bayern’s chances were lacking as usual until Konrad Laimer’s 38th-minute turbocharged strike, which rarely missed a beat, even without Luis Diaz (nerves). Kane’s penalty proved to be the turning point of the match, though it was clear the moment the contest drew things to its heart. Bayern saw that the match was largely contained but they did not let it go. On the subject of tremors, he saw that the elasticity, which he had mastered, was quite great.
“I probably could have gone out there another hour today and the ball wouldn’t have gone in the back of the net,” Kane said afterwards. “You have to lie sometimes… There’s nothing to cry about.”
Kane’s response reflects Bayern’s mentality. They left disappointed, but little worried, armed with enough information to believe what was relevant rather than to believe.
At Dortmund, the miss felt like a nightmare. Der Klassiker often became an exercise in surviving the pressure of Bayern, and for a moment it looked as if the visitors were two goals short. But Kane’s effort rattled the post and gave Dortmund confidence – something that was increasingly valuable as the match wore on.
“Harris is such a great penalty taker,” Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel said. “You can’t really predict, but I just tried.” [not] give him something Last time I tried it a little fake, but the timing was a little wrong for me in the last game. Today I thought I had nothing to give. I tried to make it as hard as possible for him and luckily it worked.”
Faith, not control, became Dortmund’s currency. Bayern continued to create chances and threaten to monopolize territory, but the visitors gradually turned the match into the odd, awkward contest they needed.
Serhou Guirassy was likely to be the candidate for Dortmund’s equaliser, when Dayot Upamecano Laimer was on the scoresheet for Bayern in the 66th minute. For another 22 minutes, it felt like the hosts were getting closer to the preferred outcome – Kane and Michael Olise weren’t the bright spots on Saturday, but Bayern’s squad is built well enough to handle the rest of the players. If the night was supposed to belong to Kane, he ended up creating an unexpected headline spot. That role fell to Dortmund’s Fabio Silva.
The Portuguese forward is not among the first names on Dortmund’s sheet, but he is steadily developing a reputation as one of Niko Kovac’s most reliable options. His goal against Bayern was his fourth in all competitions this season, already falling short of last season’s tally, despite spending much of the campaign on the bench. Although his goals drew attention, Silva’s seven assists last season are a reminder that his value extends well beyond the end of the event.
“Every game is important to me,” he said. “It’s not about scoring against Bayern. I just think about helping the team with my football. Not about all the goals. I remember two or three actions before the goal, I was there to help the team to create some chances. I think I play more than [just about] score[ing] Proposals … Of course, I prefer [to] to begin with than to be in counsel. If I say the opposite, I’m not going to be 100% honest with you, but I always try to be positive during the week when I see that I’m not playing. Of course, at the first moment I get angry, but afterwards, I always try to be positive, because I know that I am important for the team.”
Dortmund continues to face questions about whether they can really match Bayern over the course of the season. Saturday night was a little ruined. The number of shots, the expected goals and the overall flow of the game all pointed to Bayern’s superiority. However, circus titles are not only defined by subject numbers. On a day built to celebrate Kane’s coronation, Dortmund left Munich with almost the most precious thing – a sign that Bayern can be frustrated and that the race is on.