The Pole scored twice as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund to lift the 2021 DFL Supercup. The win was Julian Nagelsmann’s first competitive success as the new head coach of Bayern, along with his first piece of silverware.
Nagelsmann named a full-strength side to face Dortmund with an attacking quartet of Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, and Kingsley Coman. Josip Stanisic was the surprise pick in defence, the German retaining his spot from the weekend’s draw against Borussia Monchengladbach. Marco Rose, meanwhile, went for a two-pronged attack with Erling Haaland and Youssoufa Moukoko as the spearheads. Marco Reus played in the hole behind the two strikers.
The two sides exchanged early blows, requiring the goalkeepers to be at their best. Manuel Neuer saved a one-on-one against Reus while at the other end, Dortmund’s new signing Gregor Kobel stopped Muller from scoring following a well-worked set-piece.
Kobel, however, could do nothing but watch the ball hit the back of the net in the 40th minute as Lewandowski powered home a header from Gnabry’s cross. The Polish striker subsequently assisted Muller with a backheel flick three minutes after the break, the German putting Bayern 2-0 up.
Reus pulled a goal back for Dortmund in the 64th minute with a wonder-striker. The attacker hit the ball the first time of asking from a Jude Bellingham lay-off – from outside the box no less – which Neuer could not save even at full stretch.
However, any hopes of a Dortmund comeback were drowned fifteen minutes from full time when Lewandowski capitalized on a defensive mistake to beat Kobel from close range.
With a cup in hand, Bayern welcome Koln to the Allianz Arena this weekend, whereas Dortmund visit Freiburg following their disappointment.
