BartaBangla Desk :: Two goals from Marco Reus spurred Borussia Dortmund to lift the German Super Cup with a 4-2 win over Champions League and Bundesliga holders Bayern Munich on Saturday.
In a hugely entertaining encounter on a scorchingly hot Dortmund evening between the two teams who contested the Champions League final two months ago, Dortmund looked to have lost none of their sharpness.
Bayern were badly missing injured winger Franck Ribery and keeper Manuel Neuer, while new transfer from Dortmund, Mario Goetze, was also out injured.
“It was a great game,” Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp told reporters. “Three weeks of preparation, a few injured players, a couple of weeks before the season start and every player playing like there is no tomorrow.”
“Bayern are not our rivals this season (as they are in a league of their own). We will compete with the other 16 teams but when we face Bayern we will always want to beat them,” he said.
Although Bayern’s new coach Pep Guardiola did not experiment as much as he did during the pre-season friendlies, he did opt to start with new signing Thiago Alcantara as a sole holding midfielder instead of two.
Dortmund, who played second fiddle to treble winners Bayern in all competitions last season, got off to a perfect start when Reus headed in for the lead in the sixth minute after Bayern keeper Tom Starke failed to hold on to a Sven Bender header.
The Bavarians, with Guardiola on the bench for his first competitive game, levelled eight minutes after the restart when Philipp Lahm floated a perfect cross from the right and Arjen Robben headed in at the far post.
Dortmund struck twice in two minutes with Daniel van Buyten heading in an own goal in the 55th from an Ilkay Guendogan cross. The Germany international then gave the hosts a two-goal cushion with a fine solo effort and well-struck curled shot from the edge of the box.
Robben, who scored a last-gasp winner in the Champions League final, cut the deficit seven minutes later when he picked up yet another Lahm assist to turn and drill in for his second goal of the evening.
However, new Dortmund signing Emerick Aubameyang set up Reus for his second to complete a successful start to the season in the 86th.
“They won and I am not here to analyse the game,” said Guardiola, adding he was satisfied with how his team had played.
“I am satisfied with our performance. We did not lose because of the mistakes,” said the Spaniard. “We have a week, 10 days for the Bundelsiga start.”
“We lost 4-2 but I do not have the feeling that they are that much better. We will now correct our small mistakes.”