The problem with the great rivalry in German football is that it isn't really a rivalry. Borussia Dortmund are no longer Bayern Munich's rivals. They're an occasional nuisance.

For much of the first half here, they appeared dangerous. And then Munich scored and never looked back. The game was over — quite possibly the league, too.
From a selfish, English, point of view, it was a pity. Victory for Dortmund would have set up the closest Bundesliga title race in years. Instead, another procession is passing by. Munich have seven consecutive titles in hand and are now seven points clear and closing on the eighth.

In that time they have played Dortmund 16 times in the league and lost three. Another three games have been drawn, making it 10 wins for Munich in their league meetings since 2012-13.
Dortmund are to Munich what Vitas Gerulaitas was to tennis great Jimmy Connors. Gerulaitas finally won after a run of 16 straight defeats. 'Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitas 17 times in a row,' he announced proudly afterwards.
Still, as disappointing as this may have been for those looking for summer diversions, at least the goal that won it was memorable.
It came two minutes before half-time as Munich grew into the game. Dortmund had a chance cleared off the line after just 34 seconds, but Munich were keeping them increasingly at arm's length and were starting to probe.
It was at the end of such a movement that calamity struck the home team. Munich had been passing, passing, passing. Not really going anywhere but applying pressure.
Dortmund couldn't clear, maybe didn't commit enough, and paid a heavy price. The ball fell to Joshua Kimmich, on his right foot, a yard outside the penalty area. He glanced up and noted goalkeeper Roman Burki in a poor position.
Not far enough back to guard the line and in no position to influence play or gather. He chipped him. The Germans prefer to call it a lob. Either way, it was exquisite.
Burki went scuttling back and got a big hand to it, but not enough. He could have done better, all round really. Still, take nothing away from Kimmich.
This is a defensive midfield player, remember. He was tipped as a centre half early in his career, and then Pep Guardiola converted him to full back.
So he is one of those lovely, versatile, intelligent German footballers. Whatever way you want to play it, he'll play it. It was certainly a goal that deserved to win a match. Now it looks to have won the league.
Yet here's the funny thing. The most hated club in German football are RB Lepizig. New money offends the sensibilities of German traditionalists and they are often the target of protests from fans.
Yet Kimmich initially made his reputation at Leipzig. He played for them in the third tier, then the second. At the time there was no way the club could resist Munich's money, however. Now there is. And that's a bad thing? Doesn't German football want competition? Is it healthy that Munich are winning every season now and plundering their rivals for talent?
One of the attractions of Germany's league being the only game in town right now is to bring it to a wider, captive audience. It does poorly abroad because it is seen as a one-horse race.
Dortmund-Munich is branded Der Klassiker, but what is classic about a fixture in which the last three league games have an aggregate scoreline of 10-0 and two of the last three seasons have ended with one team doing the double?
It could have been different had Dortmund taken early chances on Tuesday. From their first attack, Manuel Neuer was forced to tear from goal to thwart Thorgan Hazard, before Erling Haaland collected the loose ball and Jerome Boateng cleared it off the line.
Boateng — outstanding throughout — also kept Haaland at bay after Hazard cut one back to him on 10 minutes. Yet Munich grew stronger with less to lose. Content to contain at first — a draw would have been a good result for them, too — they came into it through Kingsley Coman and could have gone ahead when he found Serge Gnabry on 19 minutes. Dortmund captain Lukasz Piszczek kept them in it.
Did the absence of a crowd change the dynamic? Obviously it is an advantage for Dortmund to play in front of the famed yellow wall. Yet Munich have won there in 2020, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2013. It's hardly a fortress where these teams are concerned.
Perhaps the one time a big noise would have made a difference was in the 58th minute when Hazard again found Haaland and his miskick took a deflection off Boateng, who was sprawled on the floor.
Replays showed it may have hit his upper arm. Yet, without spectators to take up the cause, there was no appeal from the players and no pressure on the referee to refer his decision to VAR. It passed with barely a flicker of emotion.
Jadon Sancho came on as a half-time substitute and sparkled in fleeting moments. Yet the optimistic prospect of having him back was balanced for Dortmund by an injury to Haaland, sustained as he stretched for a Sancho cross, which saw him replaced instantly.
Whatever the injury bulletins, the chance to influence the title race is fast disappearing. On the final whistle, the loudest noise was the triumphant scream of match-winner Kimmich. With four Bundesliga titles to his name already, one imagines he knows how it goes from here.
FaithEvans
2
Gnabry didn't actually "join" Bayern from Hoffenheim. Gnabry signed for Bayern from Arsenal, had a good season with them and then was sent on loan to Hoffenheim for a year, and then returned.. Eddie Nketiah returned from his recent loan spell at Leeds in January to link up with Arsenal again, but that doesn't mean we bought him from Leeds...
Yeah, I messed it up... We sold him for £5m to Werder Bremen, with some backhand dishonest tapping from Bayern who wouldn't let him sign a new contract with Arsenal, Bremen then sold to almighty Bayern after one year, I mean, who could have predicted that?... Loaned him to Hoffenheim and got him back!... still the same thing, Pavard from Stuttgart, Lewy from Dortmund, Neuer from Schalke 04, I just read Uli Hoeness is talking about buying Kai Havertz already... it's a never-ending chain of weakening competition, y'all would get tired after 28 consecutive BuLi, I'm sure[byebye]
Gunners4ever❤
1
Yeah right? Nicklas Süle and Serge Gnabry joined from Hoffenheim in 2017, Leon Goretzka from Schalke 04 in 2018 and Benjamin Pavard in 2019... are u sure you're a Bayern fan or u just su*k on the dong of any recently successful club?
Gnabry didn't actually "join" Bayern from Hoffenheim. Gnabry signed for Bayern from Arsenal, had a good season with them and then was sent on loan to Hoffenheim for a year, and then returned.. Eddie Nketiah returned from his recent loan spell at Leeds in January to link up with Arsenal again, but that doesn't mean we bought him from Leeds...
FaithEvans
2
Why do you hate so much do you feel better about yourself 🤔 keep quiet. Bayern haven’t bought anyone for the past 4 years from the Bundesliga
Yeah right? Nicklas Süle and Serge Gnabry joined from Hoffenheim in 2017, Leon Goretzka from Schalke 04 in 2018 and Benjamin Pavard in 2019... are u sure you're a Bayern fan or u just su*k on the dong of any recently successful club?
Timothy_Bayern
1
Lol... that's not the point and it doesn't make the BuLi any less boring, and u lack shame too, any EPL clubs buying the best players from each of their rivals would have done better in the UCL than Bayern had in the past decade, u buy all the best players in Germany and what's the result? other than beating a Dortmund team you've already demoralized by buying Mario Gotze in 2013, u spent the rest of the decade kneeling to Cristiano Ronaldo!
Why do you hate so much do you feel better about yourself 🤔 keep quiet. Bayern haven’t bought anyone for the past 4 years from the Bundesliga
FaithEvans
2
Your such a bad football fan. 10-2
Lol... that's not the point and it doesn't make the BuLi any less boring, and u lack shame too, any EPL clubs buying the best players from each of their rivals would have done better in the UCL than Bayern had in the past decade, u buy all the best players in Germany and what's the result? other than beating a Dortmund team you've already demoralized by buying Mario Gotze in 2013, u spent the rest of the decade kneeling to Cristiano Ronaldo!
__arkopaul__
0
bcoz of our players we had in 70s and our good management,bvb tried to buy lot of players in early 2000 but they failed and faced bankruptcy
yaa bayern gave a loan
ArthurMorgan
1
yeah but financially bayern head and shoulders above everyone else
bcoz of our players we had in 70s and our good management,bvb tried to buy lot of players in early 2000 but they failed and faced bankruptcy
__arkopaul__
0
in 2012, Dortmund made a mistake by teasing bayern hard after winning Meisterschale, especially subotic. also 2012 UCL home final defeat against Chelsea hit us hard. but it improved our mentality. one of the reason why we r dominating.
yeah but financially bayern head and shoulders above everyone else
ArthurMorgan
1
whatever..it's getting more and more boring
i watched bundeliga since i was a child, for me watching la liga and epl is boring
ArthurMorgan
1
watching football only since 2010 wc..so..
in 2012, Dortmund made a mistake by teasing bayern hard after winning Meisterschale, especially subotic. also 2012 UCL home final defeat against Chelsea hit us hard. but it improved our mentality. one of the reason why we r dominating.
__arkopaul__
0
fact is since 2000, bundeliga and premier league have same no. of different winners
watching football only since 2010 wc..so..
__arkopaul__
0
lack of competition is not the definition of farmers league
whatever..it's getting more and more boring
ArthurMorgan
1
quality is there..but no real competition
fact is since 2000, bundeliga and premier league have same no. of different winners
ArthurMorgan
1
quality is there..but no real competition
lack of competition is not the definition of farmers league
__arkopaul__
0
look at quality of Bundeliga players, nothing like ligue 1 actually. Bundeliga is not farmers legaue it's insecurity of pl fans
quality is there..but no real competition
Waybiktuz
0
Bayern is doing a very bad job bullying and stealing the least good players from all of the league teams. And its absolutely the worst league in Europe after the French league, a one horse race actually. So bad even the referees are biased, I hate the club.
Hopeman
2
Dortmund more like Real Madrid. Very competitive in Europe but nothing much in domestic league. Real Madrid much better actually, to be honest, don't knw which team to compare to. Man U? Aah no, that would be an insult to Dortmund.
Poolsince1989
1
Bayern will win the league... Hard for BVB to chase from remaining games
Timothy_Bayern
1
That's why it is called the farmers league, no competition... just the same show on a continuous loop, I wonder how people bring themselves to support a team that always wins anyway or maybe it's because of my underdog mentality, I just hope other leagues resume so we can stop pretending to care about whatever happens in the Bundesliga
Your such a bad football fan. 10-2
ArthurMorgan
1
that's why it's a farmers league
look at quality of Bundeliga players, nothing like ligue 1 actually. Bundeliga is not farmers legaue it's insecurity of pl fans
ArthurMorgan
1
Bayern München Vs Borussia Mönchengladbach is real ,,Der Klassiker"
pamcdprstu
0
didnt they say the same thing with barca
FaithEvans
3
Why do you watch Bayern then? Go watch past trophy winning matches of Arsenal. Oops, sorry, didn't find much right there on YouTube, did you?
I watch Bayern because the BuLi is the only football league in play, I would gladly watch Dusseldorf vs Hannover after 2 months without any football at all... I hope u enjoy ur farmers league without competition and hate on RB Leipzig because they're trying to compete
FaithEvans
3
you dopey fan boy in the last 30 years bayern has won the Bundesliga as many times as barca have won la liga man united has won the epl and Juventus won seri a and until this 7 title winning streak the bundesliga had changed hands from more clubs than any other league had since in began! so get some football knowledge before you make your ridiculous comments I mean you would think after all the hisings we have given you and your epl teams in the last few years you would understand we are an exceptional team and club of the highest level and have been since the 60's as is evident in the German national team also with the same sucess predominantly supplied by Bayern munich over the years no one is more successful than germany .. because of Bayern!!
Of course, u have to go back to 30yrs when the financial scales is not as skewed and you weren't strengthening yourselves by weakening ur rivals... can we talk about the last 15yrs? is your argument still holding?... see, no matter how much mental gymnastics u do, you take smear over the fact that BuLi is a boring league, not the only one but it's still is! Der Klassiker that is one-sided as this, what is so anticipatory about it?
Vahacklot
0
Nothing classic after all...
laeabeilmu
3
That's why it is called the farmers league, no competition... just the same show on a continuous loop, I wonder how people bring themselves to support a team that always wins anyway or maybe it's because of my underdog mentality, I just hope other leagues resume so we can stop pretending to care about whatever happens in the Bundesliga
you dopey fan boy in the last 30 years bayern has won the Bundesliga as many times as barca have won la liga man united has won the epl and Juventus won seri a and until this 7 title winning streak the bundesliga had changed hands from more clubs than any other league had since in began! so get some football knowledge before you make your ridiculous comments I mean you would think after all the hisings we have given you and your epl teams in the last few years you would understand we are an exceptional team and club of the highest level and have been since the 60's as is evident in the German national team also with the same sucess predominantly supplied by Bayern munich over the years no one is more successful than germany .. because of Bayern!!
__arkopaul__
2
that's why it's a farmers league
ninsatron
4
That's why it is called the farmers league, no competition... just the same show on a continuous loop, I wonder how people bring themselves to support a team that always wins anyway or maybe it's because of my underdog mentality, I just hope other leagues resume so we can stop pretending to care about whatever happens in the Bundesliga
Why do you watch Bayern then? Go watch past trophy winning matches of Arsenal. Oops, sorry, didn't find much right there on YouTube, did you?
DJ_Rocks
1
Congratulations for Bayern Munich
Thanks bro
Yaybdkly
2
That's why it is called the farmers league, no competition... just the same show on a continuous loop, I wonder how people bring themselves to support a team that always wins anyway or maybe it's because of my underdog mentality, I just hope other leagues resume so we can stop pretending to care about whatever happens in the Bundesliga
booohooo cryyy
FaithEvans
4
That's why it is called the farmers league, no competition... just the same show on a continuous loop, I wonder how people bring themselves to support a team that always wins anyway or maybe it's because of my underdog mentality, I just hope other leagues resume so we can stop pretending to care about whatever happens in the Bundesliga
mufcholic99
1
Dortmund and our noisy neighbors,= same whatsup group.. They just need Arab money too
King-10
2
It’s a pity I really wanted Dortmund to win
Edoo87
3
Congratulations for Bayern Munich