Robert Lewandowski the Difference as Bayern Munich Down Clueless Dortmund

If Borussia Dortmund were ever to stand a chance against Bayern Munich this season (the preseason Superpokal notwithstanding), it was on Saturday night.

Armed with a nearly full first-choice squad, they hosted a Bavarian side that were without Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and David Alaba, and which featured Philipp Lahm and Thiago Alcantara only just after making their returns to action.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

For once, Pep Guardiola didn't have an abundance of options. Known as a "control freak" of sorts, the ex-Barcelona trainer lined up his team with nine defensive players and two strikers in Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller. There was no creative link between midfield and attack, and even the forwards selected were as well-known for their defensive qualities as their scoring.

In employing a "Bermuda triangle" of central midfielders in Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xabi Alonso, Guardiola's strategy from the start appeared to be to kill off the game with control in midfield and hope to take advantage of whatever chances fell on the counterattack. Predictably, it worked.

Overall, Bayern didn't play a particularly great game. They were outshot 15 to seven and only accounted for 50.63 percent touches on the ball, per the official Bundesliga website. Their passing-accuracy percentage was 77.39 percent, a very modest figure by their lofty standards.

Yet it was with one of their few shots that Bayern were able to take the lead, scoring the only goal of the game after Muller's initial effort was saved. In what can only be described as a poetic turn of events, Lewandowski scored the winner in his first Bundesliga match at the Signal Iduna Park as a visiting player.

The match was a strange one for a Guardiola team to be involved in. For once, it wasn't about control or flare but rather intense effort and a touch of class at the right moments.

Lewandowski was absolutely everywhere, including on the ball as the rebound from Muller's effort fell into his path. The Poland international was first to the ball in that instance and many more: Per the Bundesliga website, he was involved in more challenges (a league-record 63) than any other player, winning an astonishing, match-high 30. For a striker, that statistic is almost unfathomable. Journalist Alima Hotakie described Lewandowski as a "game-changer":

There were other big performers for Bayern, notably Jerome Boateng, Mehdi Benatia and Manuel Neuer. They had to be sharp in order to keep a clean sheet against a BVB side that had their fair share of possession. But the key man on the day was Lewandowski, particularly because just a year ago he would have turned out for the home side instead.

Until this point in the season, the 26-year-old's transfer from the Signal Iduna Park to the Allianz Arena has been more of a loss for Dortmund than a gain for Bayern. Although his scoring record has been respectable (18 goals in 37 games in all competitions), his goals have often come in the midst of routs and rarely been of huge significance.

It's a lower return than he achieved at BVB, in any case, and at Bayern, he's been decidedly a few rungs down the hierarchy ladder behind the likes of Robben and Ribery. Reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt noted Lewandowski's "winner" record:

Dortmund, on the other hand, have missed Lewandowski's influence all season long. Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos have both failed to impose themselves in any capacity, and Jurgen Klopp has resorted to using Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the center of attack.

The Gabon international has played rather well, but there's a reason BVB moved for two strikers last summer: Aubameyang is not a natural lone striker.

BVB have scored just 1.26 goals per Bundesliga game this campaign; in the previous three seasons, they never averaged less than 2.35, nearly twice the current rate.

The Lewandowski-sized hole in their attack is abundantly clear: His hustle, his skill and sense to be in the right place at the right time have been sorely missed by BVB all season long. And although they have often been missed for Bayern as well, on Saturday he showed a glimpse of the decisiveness that made him one of Europe's most coveted strikers over the past few years.

If Lewandowski can build on Saturday's performance, there's no stopping him or Bayern.

@Mr_Bundesliga