Match awards from Bayern Munich’s 5-0 pasting of Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund did not come to the Allianz Arena to play. Or more accurately, they did not come to the Allianz Arena ready to play against an indomitable Bayern Munich spine that controlled the game from the opening whistle.

Jersey Swap: Julian Weigl

For the first 45 minutes, the jersey swap award read as the following:

Paco Alcacer — He had the good sense to be nowhere near this match.

The Dortmund defense was anemic, out of shape, and floundering to control even the simplest of Bayern attacks. At the 45th minute, Lucien Favre introduced Julian Weigl whose defensive acumen and passing introduced stability to the their back line and then to the midfield. Without Weigl, Dortmund could have suffered a lot worse. He deserves plaudits.

Tip of the Cap: Mats Hummels

4 shots. 1 goal. A defensive masterclass at the back. And an almost successful counter-attack. Mats Hummels was vintage against Borussia Dortmund.

Golf Clap: Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowsi broke the Bundesliga’s 200 goal mark with a brace and that should be rightly celebrated. His read on his 200th to intercept a poorly chosen pass from Dan-Axel Zagadou was expert. Add in the subsequent chip of Roman Bürki and the naked athleticism of his wildly unorthodox finish off the post and you can see a microcosm of everything that makes Robert Lewandowski one of the greatest, if not the greatest, strikers on this planet.

Standing Ovation: Javi Martinez

Without Javi Martinez today, this match would have been very different. The Spanish midfielder’s resurgence last month culminated in a masterclass performance in defensive midfield against Dortmund. Marco Reus was limited to just 26 touches with only a nominal few that would be considered in the middle of the park. Martinez cut off passing lanes, won balls, broke up the few Dortmund attacks that got past the halfway line and was the single most dominant presence on the field.

It was a performance made all the sweeter by a 20-yard strike that slipped through the inches between Dortmund defenders and into the side netting.

Meister of the Match: Thomas Müller

Where do you begin with Thomas Müller? He notched just a single assist, didn’t score, and didn’t put away two neatly executed 1v1s against Roman Bürki. Nothing in any stat box tells you how important he was to this win.

Müller was the quintessential workhorse on both sides of the field. Overloading both wings in conjunction with Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman, he proved a threat that required Dortmund to commit to stopping him at every moment of the match. His movement and constant positional discipline increased the space and time for every player on the field. He harassed and disrupted Dortmund at every opportunity the second they won the ball, forcing quick, errant passes and leaving the center of the field ripe for Javi Martinez to cruise in and destroy with his typical aplomb.