The German version of El Clasico, between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund lived up to all it's pre match hype last Saturday. The 2013 Champions League final, first ever contested by two Geman teams was a wonderful advert for the Bundesliga and German football.
The German clubs thrilled thalle 86.208 fans at Wembley Stadium with a unique combination of physicality, stamina, pace, tactical awareness, passing and skill. All components of the game came together to deliver a compendium of explosive football, veritable validation of all that is good about the game.
Considering the season Bayern Munich had and the fact that this was their third final in 4 seasons, Bayern fully deserve their European crown.
One must though, spare more than a passing thought to Borussia Dortmund, defeated on the night but far from disgraced. I predicted last week that Dortmund would prevail but in the end they came up just short.
There was a weird blend between the two European Cup final games, the Europa and Champions Leagues. Both featured teams that were the overwhelming favourites to win. Chelsea to beat Benfica and Bayern to beat Dortmund. In both finals the less fancied teams started quickly, dominated possesion for the first 20 minutes but failed to translate their territorial superiority into goals. This allowed their more experienced opponents back into the game, seize the initiative and score the go-ahead goal. Chelsea and Bayern once having gained the advantage were expected to kill the game off but again that wasn't the case in both games as Benfica and Dortmund hit back with penalties. The final piece of symmetry was Chelsea and Bayern scoring their back breaking winning goals in injury time.
However, that's where the similarities ended. The officiating in the Europa Cup final was devoid of any form of controversy but the same couldn't be said of the Champions League final.
Despite Bayern's record breaking domestic season and their hugely impressive performances in Europe this season, exemplified by their 7-0 demolition of Barcelona in the semi-finals. It took a massive slice of good fortune to swing the Champions League trophy Bayern's way. Frank Ribery had a hand in both Bayern's goals in the second half but was lucky to still be on the pitch. He should have been sent off in the first half for clearly elbowing Robert Lewandowski right in front of the referee. He wasn't even booked. The second chunk, rather than slice of luck Bayern got was the referee inexplicably not giving Dante, already on a yellow card a second caution for his lunge on Marcus Reus in the penalty box. The referee rightly awarded a penalty which Ilkay Gundogen expertly converted but failed to send off Dante which would have surely swung the game in Dortmund's favour. Arguments can be made that the referee didn't want to diminish the spectacle of the occasion with arbitrary expulsions. A victory of common sense over finicky officiating some might say. The flip side is a dearth in consistent offciating which confuses players and in this particular situation handed one side an undue advantage. Dortmund are well within their rights to feel a trifle hard done by. As the loss of either Ribery or Dante, not to talk of the duo being sent off, would have had a debilitating effect on Bayern. All of that, however, is mere speculation wrapped in conjecture. The reality is Bayern are the Kings of Europe, joining Liverpool on five European crowns with only AC Milan (7) and Real Madrid (9) ahead of them.
It will be interesting to note where both Champions League finalists go from here, as they may take divergent paths.
For Bayern, it it's the dawn of a new era. Pep Guardiola is taking over at the helm of affairs next season. The popular Jupp Heynckes bows out on a high today, seeking an historic treble for Bayern by beating Stuttgart in the German Cup final Pep Guardiola is going to have a tough act to follow. Heynckes has set the bar very high. Guardiola is also inheriting one of the best squads in world football. The weight of expectation on his shoulders will be immense, he must therefore hit the ground running.
Jurgen Kloop and Dortmund have different concerns. Having over achieved by reaching the Champions League final and finishing second in the Bundesliga, Kloop faces a struggle to replicate Dortmund's form in Europe next season. His status as a preeminent tactician and one of the best coaches in Europe has been established by Dortmund's stellar run to the final. His major challenge will be to retain his key players. Midfielder Mario Gotze has already signed for Bayern and striker Robert Lewandowski is rumoured to be heading in the same direction. Whether he'll be able to hold on to the rest of his star players with the richest clubs in the world hovering, remains to be seen.
