If you were zoning out as Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund played out in the background, BVB keeper Gregor Kobel’s shocking error in the 13th minute likely jolted you to your senses. With a threatening long ball launched towards goal and pacy Bayern winger Leroy Sané bearing down, Kobel rushed out to make the clearance — and scuffed his connection horribly, leaving the ball to roll slowly but inexorably into the back of his own net.
“As a goalkeeper, you know how it feels,” his Bayern counterpart Yann Sommer said after the game (via @iMiaSanMia). “But these are mistakes that happen to every goalkeeper. You learn from that.”
Sommer ended up conceding twice himself, though both goals occurred after the result was already mostly settled. For the first, he guessed correctly but failed to reach Emre Can’s well-taken penalty. For the second, young Germany international striker Youssoufa Moukoko arguably interfered from an offside position as Donyell Malen curled a ball towards the far post. Sommer looked caught of two minds, but in the end, no matter: Bayern scooped up a nice, clean win over their rivals.
It caps a week of tumult after Bayern’s senior players returned from international break to train under new coach Thomas Tuchel for the first time. Julian Nagelsmann’s dismissal has been the hot topic asked of every player after this first match under new management, and Sommer, like many of his teammates, offered kind words to the former coach:
Yann Sommer: “I never had the feeling that Julian Nagelsmann lost the dressing room. Not at all.”
In any event, Bayern can now only look forward. The new era has already begun, and it’s gotten off on the right foot.
Interested in a more in-depth look at the game? Curious about why Thomas Tuchel chose a 4-2-3-1? How did it differ from Nagelsmann’s Bayern? We talk about all that and more in our postgame podcast. Listen to it below or at this link.
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