Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich: Winners and Losers from Der Klassiker
Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Dortmund for the second time in league play this season by a 1-0 margin at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
Robert Lewandowski netted the only goal of the match in the 36th minute after some great link-up play with Thomas Muller in the final third.
The win kept Bayern 10 points ahead of Wolfsburg at the top of the Bundesliga table, and it moved Pep Guardiola's men 34 points in front of rivals Dortmund, who sit in 10th at the moment.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Bayern's second Klassiker win of the 2014-15 league campaign.
Winner: Robert Lewandowski
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Lewandowski scored his first goal as a visitor at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday after smart buildup between him and Thomas Muller.
The Polish forward played the ball over to Muller, whose shot bounced off Roman Weidenfeller and landed on the head of Lewandowski.
All the former Dortmund man had to do after the rebound was sent his way was nod home the lone goal of the match.
Lewandowski worked well with Muller throughout most of the first half, as Bayern began to take control of the match after Dortmund's initial spell of pressure.
The 26-year-old also played a massive role in the aerial battle, as he won 10 aerial duels.
Loser: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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Unlike his Bayern counterpart, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was not a force to be reckoned with in the attack on Saturday night.
Aubameyang ended the match with the fewest number of touches (32) made by a starting Dortmund outfield player.
After 64 minutes of anonymity on the pitch, he popped up in a key scenario in the 65th minute. However, his shot soared high over the goal, to the dismay of the yellow-clad home support.
When the final whistle sounded, the 25-year-old had taken two shots that went off target in an overall disappointing outing for the hosts.
Winner: Jerome Boateng
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One of the main reasons why Dortmund were limited to two shots on target was the play of Jerome Boateng.
The Bayern center-back once again commanded the pace of the match for the Bundesliga leaders, and his physical presence limited the abilities of Aubameyang up top.
Even when Dortmund put a ton of pressure on the Bayern back line during the first 15 minutes of the contest, Boateng stood strong and forced the hosts to fight for every single inch of ground in the final third.
If he keeps up his impressive form at the back, Bayern have a strong chance of pulling off the treble.
Loser: Jurgen Klopp
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Saturday marked a major opportunity for Dortmund to climb further up the Bundesliga table and gain a ton of momentum heading into their final stretch of matches.
Instead, they were left scratching their heads at what went wrong after such a dominant start to the game.
A good amount of the blame should fall on manager Jurgen Klopp's shoulders, as he failed to set his team up for success in the second half.
While his team did show some life in the first few minutes of the second period, Klopp was unable to get his men to respond to Bayern's adjustments for the entire half.
Luckily for Dortmund, they will receive a bit of break on Sunday in the race for the European spots, as fifth-placed Schalke visit sixth-placed Augsburg. A draw, which would be the ideal result, would put Klopp and Co. six points out of the final European qualification position.
Winner: Marco Reus
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The one bright spot in the Dortmund attack for all 90 minutes was Marco Reus.
Unfortunately for the bright German midfielder, his team-mates were unable to match his production for most of the match.
Reus was the match's most active attacker, as he recorded four shots and two key passes, both of which were game highs.
His best attempt on goal came in the 88th minute, but he was denied by the right hand of Manuel Neuer on a free-kick from outside the penalty area.
If Reus is able to produce like he did on Saturday throughout the rest of the Bundesliga season, Dortmund will be a contender in the race for the top six.
Winner: Thiago Alcantara
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For the first time in over a year, Thiago Alcantara appeared on the pitch for Bayern Munich.
The 23-year-old entered in the 69th minute for Philipp Lahm and impressed while trying to adapt to the speed of a top match once again.
The Spaniard did not shy away from the ball in his first game in 371 days, as he made 29 touches in his return from a knee injury.
If he can work back to full fitness in the coming weeks, he could be a valuable asset during Bayern's quest for league and cup glory.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from WhoScored.com.
