Jamal Musiala hits back for Bayern Munich and breaks the hearts of Dortmund | Bundesliga

It can’t be long before English audiences learn Jamie Gittens’ name. At home he operated on the periphery of consciousness, but this was a way to shine a light on one of Europe’s flagship occasions. Gittens is only 20 years old and is coming into his own four years after arriving at Borussia Dortmund. His electrifying solo goal before the half-hour seemed to have settled a heated duel until Jamal Musiala equalized five minutes from time and maintained Bayern Munich’s unbeaten record.

Musiala maintained a 10-point gap between the bitter rivals and overall dampened the mood of an impending battle for the Bundesliga title. The disappointment for Bayern was Harry Kane’s injury in the first half, which will also cause a stir in England. At least Gittens, whose debut in the senior national team is not long in coming, could please every spectator.

In Dortmund’s heartland, no one initially seemed concerned about inequalities. The hosts said they were able to sell 400,000 tickets for this game: a modern classic in name and style, whose prestige can easily survive the fluctuations of both protagonists. Almost 25,000 of them crowded into a noisy yellow wall almost an hour before kick-off and it was a reminder that his soul was in despair on a day when the effective waving through of FIFA advertising Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid about the direction of football will not be so easily torn away.

The question for Dortmund, whose extensive injury list is led by creative force Julian Brandt, was whether they could upset Bayern. Vincent Kompany’s players kept a clean sheet in seven games, winning them all, and Bayern had not lost here since November 2018. For Dortmund’s young coach Nuri Sahin, the hope was that these encounters could defy known laws.

It was a familiar feeling when Leroy Sané forced Gregor Kobel to parry with an inside cut and a free kick in the seventh minute. The Bavarians had a monopoly on property and inventions from early on; Dortmund’s main escape was Gittens, who twice forced Manuel Neuer into difficult throws. It was Pascal Gross, replacing Brandt, who found a more dangerous position before retreating behind the frustrated Marcel Sabitzer.

But Dortmund forced mistakes and found space on the touchline; They had won all eight home games this season and looked capable of a ninth game when Gittens scored. What a moment it was for the youngster, who was successful in the Champions League and is going strong domestically. A demonstration of full-throttle forward play began with a spin five meters into his own half that left Konrad Laimer dead. Gittens was impossible to catch from there, but the benchmark was his composure as he reached the penalty area. That too was beyond any doubt, a left-footed shot shot high past Neuer as the angle became increasingly narrow. The entire sequence had lasted eight exhilarating seconds.

Kane’s scoring for Bayern did not depend on such sprints, but five minutes later he was denied any chance to respond. He had actually barely been involved, but it was a big blow when he was out and, after treatment, was replaced by Thomas Müller. Before the break, Dortmund center forward Serhou Guirassy missed another half-chance to add to the agony.

Surely Bayern, worn down by Dortmund’s enthusiasm, couldn’t be so calm again. Four minutes of the second half had passed when Musiala, who had been calm until then, weaved his way into the penalty area and seemed certain to hit Müller. However, Kobel stood tall to make a goal-saving block. Almost immediately, a clever move from Laimer prevented Gittens from scoring a second goal at the other end.

A smooth turn and pass from Felix Nmecha, who like Gittens is a Manchester City graduate, was enthusiastically received. Now it was the rattling end-to-end situation that had been advertised: Musiala shot narrowly wide before Sané ran free but missed the far post. Sabitzer, who had another chance on the break for Dortmund, shot against the legs of the advancing Neuer, but the question now was whether they could hold on.

As the pressure mounted, it became clear they would struggle. Finally, Michael Olise, who came on as a substitute, crossed cleverly from the right and a free-standing Musiala nodded in. He ran away, tapping his head in surprise, but it was no surprise that Bayern were once again asserting their control.