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Lewandowski v Haaland, Bayern and Dortmund in microcosm | Andy Brassell

08-Mar-2021 13:13:26 | The Guardian

After six consecutive defeats at Bayern by an aggregate of 26-3, there were mixed feelings after Dortmund’s latest Klassiker loss

As Erling Haaland sat on the bench, right boot and sock off, the reasons for his glum demeanour stretched beyond discomfort in his tended-to foot that had contributed to curtailing his participation in Der Klassiker. It was about the pain of inevitability as he watched on, knowing his Borussia Dortmund had come so close to frustrating the champions, against the odds, only to stumble and fall with the finishing tape in sight.

The young Norwegian had almost foreseen it, speaking pre-game about how it seemed as if every time he scored, Robert Lewandowski – the only centre-forward in the Bundesliga classed as his superior – would bag a hat-trick for Bayern Munich, “as if it was the most normal thing in the world”. This game deserved more than being reduced to a vehicle for the duel between Haaland and the omnipotent Lewandowski – Lewandowski 3 Haaland 2 – though the comparison works perfectly as Bayern and Dortmund in microcosm, or certainly did in this context. The mighty besting the might-be mighty, even if Haaland’s future does promise to dominate Europe in a way his current team can only dream of.

Related: Lewandowski hits hat-trick in Bayern's comeback triumph against Dortmund

ERLING HAALAND SCORES AGAINST BAYERN AFTER 74 SECONDS

What a start to #DerKlassiker! pic.twitter.com/F3yokcZ1g1

Robert Lewandowski's #DerKlassiker hat-trick, in all its glory pic.twitter.com/ssVJgMUjzU

Schalke 0-0 Mainz, Bayern Munich 4-2 Borussia Dortmund, Freiburg 0-3 Leipzig, Mönchengladbach 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim 2-1 Wolfsburg, Hertha Berlin 2-1 Augsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Stuttgart, Arminia Bielefeld 0-0 Union Berlin, Cologne 1-1 Werder Bremen