Borussia Dortmund have outmuscled Bayern Munich in an arduous 120-minute cup semi-final, which ended in a memorable to awkward penalty shootout.
Former Melbourne Victory shot stopper Mitch Langerak took his chance once again, proving his determination to succeed Roman Weidenfeller in the Dortmund goal before long. After four competitive Klassiker fixtures this season, including the DFL Supercup, Bayern and BVB can now boast two wins each.
Mitch Langerak: ‘I have never experienced anything like it’
In what can be described as a break from tradition, neither of the two sides had made a believable attempt to play down the importance of the encounter before kick-off. Bayern needed the ticket to the cup final in Berlin as part of their relentless pursuit of the treble, while Dortmund’s Juergen Klopp boldly declared he wanted to win this competition and bow out with a title, a statement arguably out of character for the usually rather modest coach.
What followed on the pitch was a fiery Bayern start and first half in general, with Robert Lewandowski opening the score line for the home team after 30 minutes. Dortmund eventually gained a foothold and when vivacious Henrikh Mkhitaryan was sent on in place of Shinji Kagawa, Dortmund immediately started wreaking havoc, mostly through the middle of the park.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found himself at the end of a neat Mkhitaryan pass across the box and tapped in the equaliser on 75 minutes, which then opened up the match and called for Langerak to step up.
The Australian pulled off a string of important saves, including a tricky Thiago shot, a close range block against Lewandowski at the near post and, most notably, a sensational save in the dying minutes of regular time, when Bastian Schweinsteiger must have thought his header could not possibly be denied.
Throughout extra time, both sides mostly neutralised each other and when the inevitable penalty shootout ensued, Langerak outfaced Xabi Alonso, Phillip Lahm and Manuel Neuer — who all failed to hit the target— and finally saved Mario Goetze’s penalty himself.
Dortmund’s player of the match received a huge Klopp hug after the match and admitted he had ‘no words for this. It’s an incredible sensation’.
The role of the referee
This time around, referee Peter Gagelmann had been appointed for Germany’s most prolific but also contentious domestic duel. Suffice to say that with one sending-off, penalty claims that fell on deaf ears and Lewandowski’s concussion, the semi-final more than lived up to its reputation.
Gagelmann never fully gained control of the game. Instead, his line was inconsistent at best and assumedly, Bayern supporters more than Dortmund fans will lament his performance. The most glaring omission from Bayern’s point of view was the decision not to award a penalty when Marcel Schmelzer’s arm quite visibly touched the ball inside the box.
Guardiola, his staff and the fans were furious, while BVB carried on its business. Dortmund could not have griped about the call, but having said that, Bayern’s Mehdi Benatia endured a similar scenario very early in the match, which too was overlooked.
In terms of bookings, Gagelmann lacked consistency in this area too. Sending BVB’s Kevin Kampl for an early shower after two challenges worthy of a booking was the correct call, but by the same token, Xabi Alonso should also have received a red card before stoppage time. Calls for a Lewandowski penalty can be dismissed simply due to the fact his involvement in play started in an offside position, something else the referee did not pick up on.
Dortmund moves on to Berlin, where does Bayern go?
To the Camp Nou to take on no less than Barcelona next week. If it wants to obtain the double — no longer the treble — Bayern now has to quickly shake off this painful defeat and regroup. It might not be easy though, since both Lewandowski and Arjen Robben appear to have picked up injuries that will prevent them taking part in the first leg. It has been a bright night for Dortmund and a poignant one for Bayern.
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