Reactions to Der Klassiker: Bayern Munich look forward to Sevilla, Dortmund look for answers

Reactions to Bayern’s dominant performance over Dortmund (from AZ and FCBayern.com):

Jupp Heynckes looked contented while talking to the press after Bayern Munich’s elegant victory over hapless Dortmund. He indicated that it’s hard for every team to get back on track after an international break and is happy that the players focused on the game from the very beginning and played with superiority:

After an international break, it’s hard to get back into rhythm. The team was very focused today from the start. We had to make a statement. We put on a magnificent performance in the first 45 minutes. It’s not my business what the opponent does. We played up to the superiority of our players and talent.

Mats Hummels said that he felt sorry for his former colleagues and talked about Bayern’s upcoming match against Sevilla on Tuesday:

There were many players on the pitch with whom I had played. I myself have lost here with Dortmund 1-5. I know how much that hurts. But you have to take it seriously.

In the second half, we were trying to make sure we didn’t loose the ball the whole time and wear ourselves out. We only have three days until the next Champions League game. BVB was only interested in damage control at that point anyway.

When asked whether he knows anything about Jupp’s successor, Hummels humorously remarked:

I don’t know anything at all. I’d like to know that, too. I sometimes ask about it. Maybe they don’t tell me anything because they’re afraid I’d blurt it out.

After 90 minutes of Bayern’s wrath, Dortmund’s coach Peter Stöger admitted that his players made too many mistakes and offered little resistance:

It’s not dismay. We did too much wrong for that. The basic virtues that I always talk about were just lacking entirely. Those were once the basis for success in Dortmund. [Bayern] exploited almost every single mistake. There’s no way you can play a remotely balanced game that way. Good opponent, little resistance.

Thomas Müller was clearly happy about the team’s return to winning ways after losing to Leipzig in Bayern’s last match:

We got off to a good start. Dortmund pressed a bit but they weren’t 100 percent consistent. We had space and exploited it well from the start. If you concede one or two at the Allianz Arena you might be in for a thrashing. We eased off a bit in the second half.

Dortmund’s captain Marcel Schmelzer talked about how their ambitious plans did not work out since they were too slow and failed to get along with their rivals:

We had ambitious goals, but you could see we didn’t show it. We didn’t go for the one-on-ones; we were always a step too slow; our opponent always had men over, because they moved better. They played cat and mouse with us.

The match in review:

Taking themselves three points closer to clinching their 28th Bundesliga title, Bayern Munich mercilessly demolished a benumbed Borussia Dortmund in the first Der Klassiker of 2018. After Robert Lewandowski scored two goals, including the opener off Thomas Müller’s through ball, the hosts were leading 5-0 when the whistle blew for halftime—thanks to James Rodriguez, Franck Ribery and Thomas Müllerfor adding up to the score line.

Just three minutes before the final whistle, Robert Lewandowski grabbed a hat-trick by tapping in a fine cross from Joshua Kimmich, leaving the visitors stunned. Including the early substitution of Gonzalo Castro, it was a 90 minutes full of unfortunate events for Peter Stöger and his boys. Fortunately, unlike many other matches, the game ended without any injuries.

The result takes the Bavarians onto 69 points from 28 games, 17 clear of Schalke, with a goal difference of 52. The result will boost the team’s confidence as they face Sevilla on Tuesday at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.

Notable Numbers:

Robert Lewandowski has now scored two or more goals in 47 matches and is currently in third place behind Jupp Heynckes (51) and Gerd Müller (87). In addition, the Polish striker is just a single goal away from leveling with Thomas Müller’s record of 91 goals at the Allianz Arena. Among other milestones: Mats Hummels has now walked onto the pitch for his 50th game for Bayern, and David Alaba became the first-ever 25-year-old to win 150 matches in Bundesliga history.