Rampant Reds annihilate sorry Dortmund

On-fire FC Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 6-0 in Saturday's top clash. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring early on, with James and Thomas Müller finding the net before Lewandowski and Franck Ribéry scored late in an utterly one-sided first half, turning the evening into a nightmare for the visitors even before the interval. Lewandowski rounded off the half-dozen and completed his hat-trick late in an unspectacular second half, tapping in a perfect Joshua Kimmich cross.

The Bavarians started with Sven Ulreich between the sticks and Rafinha, Jérôme Boateng, Mats Hummels and David Alaba in a back four. Javi Martínez anchored a midfield featuring Arjen Robben, Müller, James and Ribéry, with Lewandowski as the sole striker.

Jupp Heynckes made six changes to the team that faced Leipzig before the international break. Rafinha and Boateng replaced Kimmich and Niklas Süle in defence, with Martínez, Robben, Ribéry and Lewandowski taking over from Sebastian Rudy, Arturo Vidal, Juan Bernat and Sandro Wagner. Kimmich came on for Alaba at half-time, Rafinha shifting to the left. Thiago and Rudy replaced James and Ribéry midway through the second half.

Reds dominate at will

The 75,000 capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena saw only one team live up to expectations in the latest edition of Der Klassiker. Bayern signalled their intent from the off and drew first blood after only four minutes, when Müller set up Lewandowski, who fired past netminder Roman Bürki and into the back of the net. The reeling visitors were unable to stem the tide. Ribéry soon had the ball in the net only to be ruled offside, but not a quarter-hour had been played when Alaba's low cross found James, the unmarked Colombian slotting home.

The Bavarians alternated pressure and patience but dominated the contest at will, Borussia often gifting away possession. James dispossessed Gonzalo Castro and could soon be found delivering a pinpoint cross, Thomas Müller mopping up from point-blank range. Munich increasingly engaged cruise control now, although Dortmund's Manuel Akanji made a strong tackle to halt the charging Lewandowski after the half-hour.

The evening turned truly embarassing for the Ruhr-valley outfit shortly before half-time. Ribéry wriggled his way past Lukasz Piszczek on the left, Lewandowski making the most of the following mix-up with a tap-in. One minute later Ribéry had only Bürki to beat after a fine give-and-go with James, the Frenchman leaving the keeper rooted to the spot with the most delicate of chips to make it five without reply.

Cruise control

If the first half was an impressive demonstration of clout, the second half was a slow-burning sequel. The game had long been put to bed, and with Dortmund shocked and Bayern engaging cruise control, chances proved few and far between. Robben warmed Bürki's gloves before a Martínez effort was blocked. Former Bayern man Mario Götze hit the post at the other end but was ruled offside anyway. Hummels miscued a header before Lewandowski drew a fine save from Bürki.

Piszczek tested Ulreich before Bayern's shot-stopper nicked the ball off Maximilian Philipp's toe. The final flourish came when Kimmich's pinpoint cross found the lurking Lewandowski, who tapped in to round off his hat-trick, before match official Bastian Dankert put the visitors out of their misery.

The result takes Bayern onto 69 points from 28 matches, 17 clear of Schalke. The Reds are back in action in just three days, when they travel to face Sevilla in the Champions League last eight before taking on Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday. A win against their Bavarian neighbours would seal Bayern's sixth championship title on the bounce, and they will surely be buoyed by Saturday's outstanding display.

Live match report for fcbayern.com by Greg Salmen