Last gasp Modeste goal sees BVB come back to snatch point from Bayern

Last gasp Modeste goal sees BVB come back to snatch point from Bayern

(Featured Image: Borussia Dortmund)

Borussia Dortmund came from two goals down to snatch a point from Bundesliga title rivals Bayern Munich in a thrilling ‘der Klassiker’ clash.

Goals on either side of half-time from Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sané had Bayern firmly in the driving seat with over 15 minutes left to play.

But Anthony Modeste came off the bench to set up Youssoufa Moukoko to bring Dortmund back into the game late on.

Kingsley Coman was shown a second yellow card in the last minute of regular time, before a Modeste header five minutes into stoppage time sent Signal Iduna Park into delirium.

Context

Coming into this one, Borussia Dortmund had recorded just a 26% win rate in ‘der Klassiker’ matches.

The Black and Yellows’ last win over Bayern came nine matches ago in the 2019 DFL-Supercup.

Meanwhile their last Bundesliga win in this fixture occurred in the previous season, where a late Paco Alcacer goal saw the club take the three points at the Westfalenstadion in a 3-2 victory.

Nowadays Bayern Munich are synonymous with the Bundesliga, having won the past 10 titles.

Commonly regarded as the second biggest club in Germany, ‘die Schwarzgelbe’ have always been considered their closest challengers.

Bayern Munich 2010 Champions
Bayern Munich have won each of the past 10 Bundesliga titles (Photo: Flickr)

Last season, Marco Rose’s BVB lay in second place from the eighth Bundesliga match day to the last (34), as the club finished just eight points behind their Bavarian rivals, continuing a trend of inferiority.

Since Jürgen Klopp left North Rhine-Westphalia in 2015, ‘die Borussen’ have been runners-up four times out of a possible seven.

In those seasons, the closest the club came to stopping Bayern’s dominance came in the 2018-2019 season, where Lucien Favre’s Dortmund finished just two points behind.

But other losing deficits have stood at 10 (2016), 13 (2020) and eight points (2022).

Will this season see Bayern’s dominance break?

Before new seasons begin, there seems to be considerable pressure on the team to go closer to bridging that gap.

However, Bayern simply seem a class apart; they’ve done the double over BVB in each of the last three terms.

The 3-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena last season, the 1-0 defeat at Signal Iduna Park in 2020, and especially the 5-0 away defeat with six games to go in that 2019 season spring to mind as defining defeats.

No matter how things appear to be going for Dortmund, Bayern always have their number.

This year things stand considerably closer in the Bundesliga table, granted it’s still early days.

Eight games in and the sides are separated by goal difference and Edin Terzic’s talented young side still have some gelling to do.

So should the Yellow Wall dare to dream?

Recent history would suggest otherwise but all good things do eventually come to an end, and this match could prove to be quite telling.

Borussia Dortmund's 2017 DFB-Pokal winners
Has Dortmund’s time for glory come again?

Team News

Borussia Dortmund

33. Alexander Meyer

25. Niklas Süle

15. Mats Hummels (C)

4. Nico Schlotterbeck

13. Raphael Guerreiro

19. Julian Brandt

22. Jude Bellingham

23. Emre Can

6. Salih Özcan

21. Donyell Malen

18. Youssoufa Moukoko

Bayern Munich

1. Manuel Neuer (C)

5. Benjamin Pavard

2. Dayot Upamecano

4. Matthijs de Ligt

18. Alphonso Davies

8. Leon Goretzka

18. Marcel Sabitzer

10. Leroy Sané

42. Jamal Musiala

7. Serge Gnabry

17. Sadio Mané

90 minute overview

Early on the real chances were few and far between; there was a clear impression that this was a derby.

A heated atmosphere created by the 81,365 in attendance at Signal Iduna Park was the backdrop for a tense affair on the pitch.

Within the opening stages two Bayern players were booked; first Marcel Sabitzer for a foul on Donyell Malen, and then Matthijs de Ligt for a late challenge on Jude Bellingham.

Minutes later Bellingham went into the referee’s book himself after an alleged foul on Jamal Musiala.

Once that physical side of the game had died down, Borussia Dortmund’s first real chance came after half an hour, when Raphael Guerreiro had a go from a wide angle but was denied by Manuel Neuer.

But on the 33 minute mark the visitors launched a counter-attack which saw Sadio Mané flick the ball to Jamal Musiala on the left hand side of the Dortmund box.

The former Chelsea youth player cut inside and laid the ball off to Leon Goretzka on the edge of the area, where the midfielder drilled the ball with perfect accuracy into the bottom left corner, breaking the deadlock and giving Julian Nagelsmann’s side the lead.

A few minutes later, BVB created another chance; Youssoufa Moukoko pressured Alphonso Davies into losing the ball in his own third before finding Julian Brandt.

The German slotted Malen through on goal but Bayern captain Neuer was off his line quickly to close down the angle and make the save.

Second half

Being a goal behind to start the second half, Edin Terzic’s side came out with more intent; Marius Wolf saw a great effort from distance brilliantly tipped over the crossbar by Neuer, before Guerreiro’s first-time volley following a corner flew over.

But the side from Munich then saw a gilt-edged chance and the most clear-cut of the game to that point.

A great move saw Joshua Kimmich send a long ball to Goretzka in the box. The former Schalke man nodded the ball to Mané, who somehow headed wide of an almost open goal from close range.

On the 53 minute mark, though, they would double their advantage; Musiala drove forward and worked the ball to Leroy Sané.

Another former Schalke man, Sané picked up the ball in the channels and found the back of the net, despite Alexander Meyer getting a strong hand to it.

The man in between the sticks for the hosts would be called into action again later, denying Musiala from close range after he was initially rounded by Sané, as the Black and Yellows held on.

Goretzka came close again soon after, drilling the ball wide of the post from range, but ‘die Borussen’ immediately countered.

Nico Schlotterbeck charged forward before finding Moukoko, who slipped substitute Anthony Modeste in behind.

Modeste, who had come under significant criticism since his summer arrival from Köln, held the ball up and gave it back to Moukoko in the box.

The teenage sensation got the ball out of his feet well before smashing past Neuer to bring his side back into the contest.

Dortmund were gaining momentum and the visitors were resorting to fouls to stop that.

Kingsley Coman was shown a yellow card for a foul on Bellingham.

Dying stages

With minutes to play, Wolf found Karim Adeyemi on the right flank; the former RB Salzburg man turned incredibly before sending a cross into the box.

This was Modeste’s moment: a seemingly straightforward tap-in, but the Frenchman couldn’t make sufficient contact with the ball, allowing Neuer to bat it away.

Adeyemi’s pace and fresh legs off the bench were vital for BVB and he threatened to spark another chance on the break in the last minute of regular time.

But Coman had his hands all over the forward, a tactical foul deemed worthy of a second yellow card by referee Deniz Aytekin.

Against 10 men, the hosts had the momentum, shooting towards the Yellow Wall in the stadium’s ‘Südtribüne’.

In the fifth minute of the five added by the fourth official in stoppage time, just as all hope was dying, Edin Terzic’s men would get one final chance to salvage a point.

After a corner was cleared, Adeyemi picked up the pieces and sent the ball back into the mixer, where even Meyer lurked to pounce on any loose ball.

Schlotterbeck kept the ball in play on the right before crossing to the far post where none other than Anthony Modeste rose to head into an empty net.

A climax like no other yielded a noise like no other, as fans, players, substitutes and staff alike ascended into ecstasy.

‘The Classic’

‘Der Klassiker’ has delivered again and Borussia Dortmund keep tabs on their rivals at the top end of the Bundesliga.

A necessary showcase of great mentality from BVB after an uncertain start to the campaign; this young team has the talent and it’s now shown the mentality, but can they keep performing to make this count?

Just how big a point could this be come May?

Bundesliga table

  1. Union Berlin – 17 points (+9 GD)*
  2. Freiburg – 17 points (+6 GD)*
  3. Bayern Munich – 16 points (+17 GD)
  4. Borussia Dortmund – 16 points (+1 GD)
  5. Werder Bremen – 15 points (+6 GD)
  6. Hoffenheim – 14 points (+4 GD)

*Play their game in hand tomorrow (Sunday, 9 October)

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