Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich: Score, Grades, Reaction from Der Klassiker

Robert Lewandowski returned to haunt his former club as he scored the only goal of Der Klassiker for Bayern Munich at the Westfalenstadion.

The Poland international struck in the 36th minute of an uninspiring Bundesliga clash between the archrivals of German football to end Borussia Dortmund's run of seven league games without defeat.

The goal also restored Bayern's 10-point advantage over Wolfsburg at the top of the table as they bounced back from the surprise loss to Borussia Monchengladbach before the international break.

Lewandowski played down any celebration in the wake of his winner, but he is likely to make up for it as the Allianz Arena took another step toward the title with just seven league games remaining.

However, Dortmund will be left to rue a glaring miss by Marco Reus in the second period which would have levelled the game and perhaps added momentum to beat their rivals.

Dortmund opened with a fast start and there were appeals for a penalty as Jakub Blaszczykowski went down under a challenge from Dante in the fifth minute, but to no avail.

At the other end, Thomas Muller sneaked into the Dortmund box before lifting the ball over Roman Weidenfeller, but the effort was cleared as it approached the goal line.

There were some jeers around the Westfalenstadion as Bayern striker Lewandowski fouled Neven Subotic on his first Bundesliga return to his former club.

The Poland international had the ball in the net in the 13th minute after a ball from Muller, but to the delight of the home supporters, Lewandowski was adjudged to be offside.

Bastian Schweinsteiger was the first player in the referee's notebook for a foul on Lars Bender in the 19th minute before being joined there by Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a lunge at the Bayern midfielder.

There was a further yellow for Marcel Schmelzer for a foul on Rafinha as the tackles maintained their ferocity.

The absences of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery saw Bayern lacking a creative threat in the opening stages as Dortmund held a slight advantage over their opponents in the opening half-hour.

Xabi Alonso slipped as he struck a 33rd-minute free-kick to send the ball wide after Muller had been tripped by Ilkay Gundogan.

In the 36th minute, Bayern opened the scoring through their former Dortmund star. Lewandowski played a long ball from defence into the path of Muller, who chased through on goal. His effort was parried by Weidenfeller, but the Poland international beat Schmelzer to the loose ball to head home.

Lewandowski played down the celebrations as his team-mates congratulated him, and the reception granted him from the home fans was warmer than that which greeted Mario Gotze on his return with Bayern last season.

Reus went down easily under a challenge from the impressive Jerome Boateng, but the referee was uninterested in giving a spot-kick early in the second half.

Pep Guardiola made his first change in the 58th minute with Schweinsteiger replaced by Sebastian Rode.

On the hour mark, Boateng saw a clearance blocked by Schmelzer and the rebound fell into the path of Reus, but the Dortmund star fired into the side-netting to leave Manuel Neuer still without a real save to be made.

The frustration of that miss showed itself in the moments after, and Reus was caught in a row with Medhi Benatia before questioning the decision of an assistant referee.

Jurgen Klopp introduced Shinji Kagawa to the action in the 68th minute in place of Kevin Kampl, while Thiago Alcantara's return after over a year on the sidelines for Philipp Lahm was greeted with cheers from the visiting fans.

Neuer produced a wonderful piece of inventive goalkeeping to deny the onrushing Reus when he raced from his line to the corner of his area before rising to push the ball away while ensuring his hand remained inside the box.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan came on for Gundogan, while the subsequent arrival of Gotze for Muller seconds later was greeted by a cacophony of boos from the home supporters. 

After a handball by Rode 20 yards from the Bayern goal, Reus was granted a chance to atone for his earlier miss with a free-kick, but Neuer produced another brilliant stop on his line to thwart the Dortmund star.

Dortmund continued to push for an equaliser to match their territorial dominance of the game, but their lack of threat again undid their efforts, leaving Bayern a clear run to the title.

Selected Player Ratings

Robert Lewandowski: A

The Bayern striker worked well with Thomas Muller in the first half and deserved his opening goal for his efforts. A hard-working performance throughout the 90 minutes.

Marco Reus: A-

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was always probing for an opening in the first half, but his glaring second-half miss was a disappointment when Dortmund desperately needed an equaliser.

Jerome Boateng: A+

The Bayern defender proved to be an anchor as the visitors weathered the Dortmund storm in the early exchanges. He was a calming influence and played the sensible ball where required.

Post-Match Reaction