German football’s marquee fixture came at a key moment for both sides, with Bayern looking to stamp their authority on the Bundesliga title race and potentially eliminate Dortmund from contention altogether.
A dominant start from the visitors indicated that may well become a reality as Bayern pressed for an opener, with only a flying save from Gregor Kobel denying Leroy Sane a stunning strike inside the opening 10 minutes.
The Dortmund stopper appeared to be struggling physically in the aftermath, as was centre-back Waldemar Anton, whose Klassiker debut lasted just 17 minutes before he was forced off injured.
Having ridden the Bayern storm, Die Schwarzgelben rallied and opened the scoring in stunning fashion. Having drawn the visitors onto them when playing out from the back, Nico Schlotterbeck released Jamie Gittens down the left, and the young Englishman accelerated at rapid pace away from a reeling Konrad Laimer, allowing him to surge through on goal and bury a finish past Manuel Neuer.
Gittens’ third goal in as many matches was the first Bayern had conceded in eight games, and gave Vincent Kompany food for thought at the interval, as did an injury to Harry Kane, which forced the Bayern striker off injured before the break.
The Rekordmeister were a different beast following the restart, camping in the Dortmund half and applying plenty of pressure. Having been played in by Musiala, Thomas Muller was denied by a fantastic save from Kobel, while Musiala and Sane also fired wide of the target. However, as Bayern pressed forward in their search for an equaliser, there were opportunities on the break for the hosts, who could’ve had a second if not for an impressive Neuer save to deny Marcel Sabitzer.
Tempers flared as Dortmund desperately held onto their slender lead, but as the contest reached its final 10 minutes, a Bayern side who’ve netted 3+ goals in all but one of their prior away league games this term looked short on ideas in the final third.
A late free-kick changed all that, however, as Dortmund failed to clear with the set-piece after blocking the shot, allowing Michael Olise to pick out Musiala to head home the leveller.
The home faithful had their collective hearts in their mouths when Sane went down under the challenge of Ramy Bensebaini moments later, but no penalty was given as the spoils were shared in another blockbuster clash between Germany’s giants.
The gap between them remains 10 points in Bayern’s favour, who extended their unbeaten run at Signal Iduna Park to eight matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)