Football: Salary System - Chapter 136: The Pivotal Clash (Part 3) (Patreon)

“Lewandowski again! The Pole responds to Zayn’s goal in the most direct way possible by completing his brace!”

“Now this is what the Der Klassiker should look like!

“Zayn had just torn Bayern’s entire defense apart almost single-handedly, and Lewandowski immediately answered in classic center-forward fashion! This head-to-head battle between two superstar forwards has turned the Der Klassiker into a showcase of individual brilliance!”

Matthäus nodded repeatedly.

“Bayern’s experience has given them the edge at the crucial moment. Just look at Lewandowski’s positioning and finishing inside the box. Dortmund’s young defenders still have a lot to learn.”

The Bayern supporters in the away section celebrated wildly, their voices cutting sharply through the sea of yellow at Westfalenstadion.

On the pitch, Dortmund’s young players looked visibly stunned.

“Come on! Heads up!”

Reus ran all the way back from the attacking third, clapping hard to get his teammates’ attention.

“Stay focused! The game isn’t over. Play at our tempo. Don’t let them dictate the match!”

Reus was never one for long, impassioned speeches on the pitch, but he was still doing everything he could to rally his teammates.

Seeing this, Zayn did not immediately head for the center circle. Instead, he waved toward his teammates.

“This is Westfalenstadion. This is our home. We’re only one goal down. We’ll get it back!”

With both the captain and the team’s attacking focal point speaking up, the young defenders finally stopped hanging their heads in confusion.

Play resumed.

Having regained the lead, Bayern clearly had no intention of giving Dortmund any breathing room.

They maintained their high-intensity attacking pressure, looking to capitalize on the momentum, score again, and put the match beyond doubt.

Dortmund, of course, had no intention of simply sitting back and taking it at home.

The two teams collided head-on in midfield, and the match once again became a fierce, high-intensity battle for control.

By now, Favre’s decision to replace Weigl with Dahoud was beginning to show results.

After a brief period of adjustment following his introduction, Dahoud gradually found his rhythm.

Compared with Weigl in the first half, the Syrian-German midfielder moved the ball more quickly, covered more ground, and, most importantly, was far more willing to attempt forward passes.

Witsel benefited as well. He was freed from constantly dropping back to help his teammates play out and could cover more ground higher up the pitch, allowing him to become more involved in Dortmund’s attacking buildup.

As a result, Dortmund began playing out from the back much more directly.

In the 56th minute, Götze received a line-breaking vertical pass from Dahoud on the left, bypassing Bayern defensive midfielder Javi Martínez and leaving him facing Hummels directly.

But the Bayern center back showed his former teammate no mercy. He read the situation perfectly and launched into a sliding tackle, knocking the ball out of play.

“Those two know each other far too well! Hummels takes Götze out immediately!”

Bayern still had more possession, but their grip on the tempo of the match was clearly beginning to weaken.

In the 59th minute, Sancho received a diagonal long ball from Akanji on the right and turned to face Alaba.

Unlike in the first half, he did not release the ball early.

Instead, he confidently shifted his body from side to side, threw in several stepovers, then suddenly accelerated toward the byline.

Alaba had not expected the youngster to attack him so boldly and was beaten by half a step.

Fortunately for Bayern, he was quick enough to turn and recover, knocking the ball away near the corner of the penalty area.

“Excellent dribbling from Sancho! He looked hesitant against Alaba and Ribéry in the first half, but he seems to have found his confidence now!”

“Exactly. That’s one of the things about young players. Confidence can have an enormous effect on their performance.”

In the 62nd minute, Sancho received the ball on the right again.

This time, the young Englishman produced two consecutive changes of direction while being double-teamed by Alaba and Javi Martínez, somehow working the ball free from between them.

He then played it square to Zayn.

The experienced Hummels immediately got tight to him, denying him any room to turn.

Zayn simply laid it back to the advancing Witsel, and the Belgian switched play across to the left.

Götze controlled the ball and immediately guided a shot toward the far corner, but it went just wide of the post.

“Bayern are gradually losing the control of possession they enjoyed in the first half, and Dortmund have been able to string together several attacks.”

“That’s right, and the reason is obvious.

“Six of Bayern’s starters today are already over 30. Neuer, Boateng, Hummels, Martínez, Ribéry, and Lewandowski.

“With an aging core like that, it’s difficult to maintain the same high-intensity attacking and defensive tempo they showed in the first half once you get beyond the hour mark.”

“Dortmund, by comparison, have only two players on the pitch who are 30 or older, Hitz and Piszczek. And Hitz is only playing because his compatriot Bürki is still recovering from a thigh injury.”

“Exactly. And while Bayern’s midweek Champions League opponents, AEK Athens, were considerably weaker than Atlético Madrid, Kovac made no changes at all today. His starting eleven is exactly the same as it was in midweek.

“I can understand the thinking. He wanted to use what he considered his most reliable lineup to win in the Champions League, then carry that momentum into the Der Klassiker.

“But it now looks like playing consecutive matches has taken a toll on his players physically. Kovac’s decision is beginning to look questionable.”

As Bayern began to slow down, Dortmund’s youngsters gradually showed their teeth.

Sancho in particular had completely shaken off his earlier nerves and hesitation.

The young Englishman had looked restrained in the first half, at times almost reluctant to take possession. But after providing the assist for Zayn’s goal, his confidence had returned.

In the 65th minute, Dortmund once again launched an attack down the right.

Sancho received the ball near the touchline. Zayn quickly drifted away from the edge of the penalty area and made a diagonal run toward the right touchline, exchanging a rapid series of one-twos with Sancho in the tight space along the right half-space.

Bayern’s entire defensive focus was drawn toward the two English stars.

They completely failed to notice veteran Piszczek overlapping along the touchline.

When Zayn received the ball again, he gently nudged it with the outside of his foot into the Polish fullback’s path.

Piszczek suddenly had acres of space and plenty of time to pick his delivery.

He looked up toward the middle and saw Reus charging into the penalty area, already occupying the space Zayn had vacated.

“Piszczek crosses!”

The ball curled inward, bending around Boateng and Kimmich before finding Reus perfectly.

Reus met the dropping ball without letting it bounce, swinging his leg through it on the half-volley.

He caught it perfectly.

The shot was struck with tremendous power and bounced once just in front of Neuer.

The German goalkeeper had no chance.

2-2!

“Reus equalizes for Dortmund!”

“He sweeps the half-volley into the Bayern net!”

“What a beautifully worked attack! This has clearly become one of Dortmund’s established patterns this season!

“Zayn and Sancho combine repeatedly on the right to draw the defense across, the overlapping fullback delivers the cross, and a teammate arriving from deep finishes the move.”

“Exactly. We’ve seen Dortmund score from this pattern several times already this season, yet opponents still can’t seem to stop it!”

Reus wasted no time celebrating.

The Dortmund captain ran straight into the goal, picked up the ball, and headed back toward the center circle.

The Black-and-Yellows wanted victory.

They wanted all three points.

They wanted to beat Bayern themselves.

On the sideline, Kovac’s expression grew darker.

In the 70th minute, he made his first substitution of the match.

Süle replaced Hummels.

“Kovac’s first change is a straight positional substitution. He’s clearly trying to deal with Zayn and Sancho repeatedly attacking the space behind Bayern’s right center back.

“Süle is faster than Hummels, and that’s one of the most remarkable things about him. Despite being such a tall center back, his top speed once ranked sixth in the entire Bundesliga.”

Hummels looked exhausted as he left the pitch.

He passed Kovac on the touchline without either man even exchanging a glance.

“Kovac clearly wants his team to at least hold on to the draw at Westfalenstadion, but the momentum is no longer with Bayern.”

This time, Matthäus showed no favoritism toward his former club.

“But Süle’s huge frame comes with an old problem. He’s slow to turn and can be vulnerable against agile forwards.

“Unfortunately for Bayern, Dortmund’s attackers are all extremely mobile. I don’t think this substitution is going to do much to slow their attacks.”

Favre then made a change of his own.

The fourth official raised the board.

Götze off. Pulisic on.

“Favre wants more pace.”

“Götze worked hard today, but he didn’t drop deep enough and wasn’t able to beat players in the attacking third or provide enough of an outlet in possession. As a result, Dortmund’s left side has lacked penetration.

“Pulisic’s pace and directness will give them something different.”

“That’s the right choice.”

Even Matthäus, who had often criticized Favre’s in-game management, nodded in approval.

“Pulisic didn’t start in the Champions League in midweek, so he should be very fresh. Kimmich, meanwhile, has already spent more than seventy minutes running up and down that flank. He’ll have to be very careful against Pulisic’s pace.”

After the substitutions, Dortmund’s attacks came in wave after wave.

In the 75th minute, Reus received the ball from Pulisic in the left half-space and suddenly cut inside.

He shifted half a step away from Martínez and shaped to shoot.

Boateng, positioned behind Martínez, immediately stepped out to block him.

But Reus flicked the ball sideways with a quick movement of his ankle, finding Zayn in the middle.

With his back to Süle, Zayn nudged the ball sideways with the outside of his right foot, spun sharply, and swung his leg through a shot.

But Süle was still extremely tall, long-legged, and mobile for his size.

He threw out one of those long legs and blocked the ball clear of the penalty area.

Witsel won the second ball and immediately unleashed a thunderous long-range strike.

Neuer punched it away with both fists.

Dortmund were now in full attacking flow.

Bayern could only buy themselves brief moments of relief through the occasional counterattack or set piece.

In the 76th minute, Kimmich launched a long ball from deep in an attempt to start an attack immediately.

Lewandowski won the first header, but his attempt to nod the ball back was intercepted by Witsel, his mass of curly hair getting in the way.

Dortmund broke from the back once again.

Achraf received the ball on the left and, unusually, chose not to carry it forward himself. Instead, he played a vertical pass into Pulisic’s feet.

Captain America carried the ball forward for a couple of steps, drawing Kimmich and Boateng across toward him.

Then he suddenly used the inside of his left foot to push the ball centrally into the path of the advancing Dahoud.

Before the ball had even reached him, Dahoud had already spotted Zayn starting his run through the right half-space.

He immediately sent a low diagonal pass into the space behind Bayern’s defensive line.

The pass was not particularly accurate.

But with Zayn’s pace, it did not need to be.

The blond teenager flashed past Süle like a bolt of yellow lightning.

Two strides were enough to leave him completely behind.

Süle drove his long legs desperately into the turf, but all he could do was watch Dortmund’s yellow-and-black No. 9 disappear farther and farther into the distance.

“Zayn is through! He’s shown that incredible pace again and simply blown past Süle!”

All 80,000 supporters inside Westfalenstadion rose to their feet.

Zayn drove diagonally into the penalty area.

For the second time in the match, Neuer came charging off his line to meet him.

The German goalkeeper had already been beaten once and had no intention of allowing Zayn to go around him so easily again.

Completely focused, Neuer watched every movement Zayn made.

At full speed, the blond teenager nudged the ball to his right with his right foot.

Neuer saw it clearly this time.

He immediately threw himself toward the ball, arms spread wide as he lunged for Zayn’s touch.

But he had underestimated how quickly Zayn could move his feet.

In a split second, Zayn touched the ball again with his right foot before Neuer could reach it.

Neuer had come out too quickly and too aggressively.

His hands missed the ball entirely, and he could no longer stop his momentum.

His shoulder slammed directly into Zayn’s planted leg.

The ball rolled slowly toward the byline as the blond teenager crashed to the turf inside the penalty area.

“Beep!”

The referee blew his whistle without hesitation and pointed straight to the spot.

“Penalty! The referee gives Dortmund a penalty!”

“Penalty! Neuer has made another mistake coming off his line! He doesn’t touch the ball this time and takes Zayn out instead! The referee had no hesitation. Penalty, and he’s shown Neuer a yellow card as well!”

The Bayern players immediately crowded around the referee.

Kimmich and Boateng raised both hands as they protested the decision.

Conceding a penalty now could wipe out almost everything Bayern had worked for in this match.

But the referee remained firm and began ordering everyone uninvolved out of the penalty area.

Reus carefully checked whether Zayn was hurt.

Once he was sure his teammate was fine, he gave Zayn a firm pat on the back and handed him the ball.

Zayn did not bother with any unnecessary show of politeness.

He brushed the grass from his legs, took the ball, and walked to the penalty spot.

Neuer stood on the goal line with his arms spread wide, bouncing from side to side and seeming to fill almost the entire goal.

Zayn, however, appeared completely cut off from everything around him.

His eyes were unnervingly calm.

The referee blew the whistle.

Zayn began his run-up.

After three steps, he drove the inside of his right foot through the ball.

Low to the right.

Neuer guessed correctly and dived to his left.

But Zayn’s penalty was almost perfect in both pace and placement.

The ball struck the inside of the post with a sharp crack and ricocheted into the net.

3-2!

Westfalenstadion seemed to shake with the goal, just like the post Zayn had struck.

“Dortmund have turned it around! Zayn converts the penalty he won himself!”

“And that gives him a brace as well!”

Amid the celebrations, Favre called toward the substitutes, who were celebrating wildly on the bench.

“Delaney, warm up!”

In the 80th minute, Dortmund made another substitution.

Sancho off. Delaney on.

Dortmund shifted into a 4-4-2, an unmistakable signal that they intended to protect the lead.

Sancho received a standing ovation as he left the pitch.

The young Englishman was beaming as he exchanged high-fives with his teammates on the bench before pulling on the jacket handed to him by a member of staff.

Delaney ran onto the field with a very clear assignment.

Cover the right half-space, track Kimmich and Alaba when they pushed forward, and protect the area beside Piszczek.

Kovac responded immediately.

He used both of his remaining substitutions at once.

Sandro Wagner replaced Gnabry, while Renato Sanches came on for Müller.

“Kovac is throwing everything at this now. Wagner is a classic target man, while Sanches can provide more direct forward carrying. Bayern are going all in.”

Sure enough, when play resumed, Bayern abandoned any attempt to control midfield.

They repeatedly sent the ball forward through the air, looking for Wagner and Lewandowski, their two aerial targets.

Meanwhile, with Sancho off, Favre effectively had Witsel, Delaney, and Dahoud sweeping across midfield, sealing off the area around the top of Dortmund’s penalty box.

Time and again, Bayern’s high balls were headed back out of the area.

And time and again, Dortmund reacted first to the second ball and cleared the danger.

After nearly ten minutes of relentless pressure, Bayern’s most dangerous opportunity was still nothing more than a hurried Lewandowski effort from the edge of the box, which Hitz gathered comfortably.

The clock continued to run down.

Kovac stood on the touchline with a grim expression, constantly waving his players forward.

But committing so many players to the attack inevitably left enormous spaces behind them.

In the 88th minute, Zayn drifted out to the right and brought down a long ball over the top from Akanji.

He drove forward before sending the ball across the face of goal.

The unmarked Reus controlled it with his left foot and shot with his right.

All 80,000 supporters inside Westfalenstadion were already on their feet, ready to celebrate the goal that would surely kill the match.

But Kimmich had sprinted all the way back and somehow blocked the point-blank effort on the goal line.

A huge groan swept through the stands before quickly turning into even louder applause.

There were five full minutes of second-half stoppage time.

But Bayern never found one final reprieve.

At last, the referee blew the final whistle.

“It’s over!”

“Dortmund beat Bayern Munich 3-2 at Westfalenstadion! They’ve won the 99th Der Klassiker!”

“Bayern Munich have taken only eight points from their last seven Bundesliga matches. With just 20 points from their opening 11 games, this is their worst start to a Bundesliga season since Louis van Gaal was in charge in 2010.”

Hellmann added,

“And here’s another interesting statistic. This is the first time Bayern have ever lost a league match in which Lewandowski scored. Before today, Bayern had gone unbeaten whenever he found the net, with 68 wins and five draws.”

“Dortmund, meanwhile, have ended a three-match Bundesliga losing streak against Bayern dating back to November 2016. This is also the first time since April 2014 that they’ve scored more than once against Bayern in a Bundesliga match.”

“But none of those records are nearly as important as this.”

“What matters most is that Dortmund now lead Bayern by 11 points in the table.

“Bayern have never gone on to win the title after finding themselves 11 points behind the league leaders after Matchday 11.

“This time, the Bundesliga giants truly are on the brink.”