Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Bayern Munich: Lewandowski fails to penalize 10-man Bavarians
Some of the stars were rested but there was no shortage of action in Signal Iduna Park, as Grosskreutz and Gomez both hit the net and Rafinha saw red in an exciting clash.
An early dress rehearsal for the UEFA Champions League final ended in deadlock forBorussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, as Robert Lewandowski's missed penalty in the second half saw BVB miss the chance to beat its rival on the way to a 1-1 draw.
Mario Gomez had cancelled out Kevin Grosskreutz's early goal in the first half, and despite having the chance to net from the spot and playing with an extra man for the last 25 minutes, Dortmund could find no way past the Bundesliga champion.
Meeting just days after downing Real Madrid and Barcelona to seal the first all-German Champions League final, both Dortmund and Bayern took the opportunity to rest several key starters as they looked ahead to the May 25 meeting. This had no effect on the intensity of the match, however, as both teams demonstrated from the beginning that they were keen to hurt their rivals.
With just 10 minutes played of the first half, BVB took the lead in sublime fashion. Jakub Blaszczykowski surged down the left, and waited before floating in a cross to the far post. Grosskreutz was there to meet it, and the converted right back showed his scoring ability by netting a brilliant volley past Manuel Neuer to put the Bundesliga runner up into the lead early on.
The home fans were delighted with the opener, and a capacity crowd cheered on their heroes as they sought a second. However, the mood soon turned to worry. Ilkay Gundogan's burst into the box was cut short by a shove from Diego Contento, which failed to draw a penalty despite Dortmund protests. Worst, the midfielder took a knock during the play and was taken off, creating a potential Champions League headache for Jurgen Klopp.
A reserve Bayern side had struggled in the opening exchanges, but soon showed why the team has romped to the title and European final in 2013. Rafinha's cross into the danger zone caught BVB unawares, and Gomez was the man to take advantage as he stole in between the defense to head perfectly home. Gomez later forced a wonderful save from Roman Weidenfeller who denied him a second with his foot, while at the other end Neuer had to fend off Robert Lewandowski one-on-one, to ensure the game would be tied at the break.
Having relinquished the previous lead, Dortmund was given the chance to restore superiority just before the hour mark. A stinging shot from outside the area struck Jerome Boateng on the hand, and there was no hesitation from the official as he pointed to the penalty spot. Lewandowski stood up to take the kick, but saw his effort brilliantly saved by Neuer. Felipe Santana also went close, heading over from the resulting corner, but Bayern was pardoned and stayed in the match.
Die Roten were hanging on in a way they have rarely had to during 2012-13, and things only got harder when Rafinha saw red for a second booking. The fullback earned a yellow just minutes earlier for a brutal tackle, and an elbow on Grosskreutz left little doubt that he would be receiving his marching orders, leaving Bayern to negotiate the final 25 minutes a man down.
Dortmund looked to press home the numerical advantage by throwing Marco Reus into the action. Despite dominating the final exchanges the club struggled to break down a determined Bavarian side which was committed to avoiding defeat. There were few clear chances in the rest of a bad-tempered fixture, and BVB eventually had to settle for a point that on reflection was most likely the fairest result.
The draw means that the Bundesliga's top two maintain their positions. Bayern was already-crowned champion and BVB is just one point shy of confirming its runner up spot. The pair will meet again in the Champions League showpiece at Wembley.
Mario Gomez had cancelled out Kevin Grosskreutz's early goal in the first half, and despite having the chance to net from the spot and playing with an extra man for the last 25 minutes, Dortmund could find no way past the Bundesliga champion.
Meeting just days after downing Real Madrid and Barcelona to seal the first all-German Champions League final, both Dortmund and Bayern took the opportunity to rest several key starters as they looked ahead to the May 25 meeting. This had no effect on the intensity of the match, however, as both teams demonstrated from the beginning that they were keen to hurt their rivals.
With just 10 minutes played of the first half, BVB took the lead in sublime fashion. Jakub Blaszczykowski surged down the left, and waited before floating in a cross to the far post. Grosskreutz was there to meet it, and the converted right back showed his scoring ability by netting a brilliant volley past Manuel Neuer to put the Bundesliga runner up into the lead early on.
The home fans were delighted with the opener, and a capacity crowd cheered on their heroes as they sought a second. However, the mood soon turned to worry. Ilkay Gundogan's burst into the box was cut short by a shove from Diego Contento, which failed to draw a penalty despite Dortmund protests. Worst, the midfielder took a knock during the play and was taken off, creating a potential Champions League headache for Jurgen Klopp.
A reserve Bayern side had struggled in the opening exchanges, but soon showed why the team has romped to the title and European final in 2013. Rafinha's cross into the danger zone caught BVB unawares, and Gomez was the man to take advantage as he stole in between the defense to head perfectly home. Gomez later forced a wonderful save from Roman Weidenfeller who denied him a second with his foot, while at the other end Neuer had to fend off Robert Lewandowski one-on-one, to ensure the game would be tied at the break.
Having relinquished the previous lead, Dortmund was given the chance to restore superiority just before the hour mark. A stinging shot from outside the area struck Jerome Boateng on the hand, and there was no hesitation from the official as he pointed to the penalty spot. Lewandowski stood up to take the kick, but saw his effort brilliantly saved by Neuer. Felipe Santana also went close, heading over from the resulting corner, but Bayern was pardoned and stayed in the match.
Die Roten were hanging on in a way they have rarely had to during 2012-13, and things only got harder when Rafinha saw red for a second booking. The fullback earned a yellow just minutes earlier for a brutal tackle, and an elbow on Grosskreutz left little doubt that he would be receiving his marching orders, leaving Bayern to negotiate the final 25 minutes a man down.
Dortmund looked to press home the numerical advantage by throwing Marco Reus into the action. Despite dominating the final exchanges the club struggled to break down a determined Bavarian side which was committed to avoiding defeat. There were few clear chances in the rest of a bad-tempered fixture, and BVB eventually had to settle for a point that on reflection was most likely the fairest result.
The draw means that the Bundesliga's top two maintain their positions. Bayern was already-crowned champion and BVB is just one point shy of confirming its runner up spot. The pair will meet again in the Champions League showpiece at Wembley.
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