Thomas Tuchel’s debut as Bayern Munich’s coach began with a commanding 4-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena.
Tuchel replaced Julian Nagelsmann during the international break and immediately faced the challenge of displacing his former club Dortmund from the top of the Bundesliga table.
The game started brilliantly for Tuchel and Bayern, with Gregor Kobel’s mistake and Thomas Muller’s double putting them three goals up inside 23 minutes. Kingsley Coman extended the lead in the second half before Emre Can’s penalty and Donyell Malen’s neat finish somewhat reduced the embarrassment for Dortmund, who lost their first league game since November.
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Bayern took the lead in unusual circumstances as Dayot Upamecano’s long throughball appeared to be heading towards Kobel, but the Dortmund goalkeeper attempted to clear it upfield, only to miscue and send it skimming into his own net.
Just five minutes later, Matthijs de Ligt nodded a corner into the path of Muller, who poked the ball home from close range for Bayern’s second goal. Another blunder by Kobel gifted Bayern their third goal, as Muller was on hand to tap in the rebound after Leroy Sane’s shot had been saved.
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Coman extended the lead in the 50th minute, latching onto Sane’s clever pass to sidefoot the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Dortmund had a glimmer of hope when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s acrobatic finish found the back of the net, but it was disallowed for offside.
Can’s penalty and Malen’s neat finish were mere consolations for Dortmund as they suffered a comprehensive defeat.
The win keeps Bayern’s hopes of defending their Bundesliga title alive, with Tuchel making a dream start to his reign at Allianz Arena. Dortmund, on the other hand, will need to regroup quickly and focus on their upcoming fixtures to remain in contention for the title race.
