Jude Bellingham waved his arms in despair, the Bayern Munich supporters booed and yelled in disbelief, but Thomas Tuchel barely flinched nonetheless.
What should have been the most challenging opening task for the former Chelsea manager, the last meeting in Germany and almost certainly a title decider against his former club, turned out to be the kind of night he would have believed possible only in his dreams.
Bayern didn’t just beat Borussia Dortmund, they skewered it to such an extent that one wondered how the team in yellow and black had reached Bavaria as league leaders; how this hurt Bellingham, who at one point kicked a goal post out of sheer frustration.
Tuchel’s new team were excellent, fast, furious and full of threats, but the helping hand they received from Dortmund or more specifically their hapless goalkeeper Gregor Kobel could not be ignored. His calamitous display effectively changed the course of a season for both clubs.
Everything seemed set for a proper contest within the first 10 minutes, as thunderous tackles were exchanged; Dortmund even had the opening chance, with Marco Reus having a loaded shot as he charged into the Bayern box.
Bayern Munich cruised to victory over Dortmund and re-established a lead at the top of the Bundesliga table on Saturday.
Newly appointed manager Thomas Tuchel will be delighted to have picked up a win in his first outing as Munich manager.
The former Chelsea manager painted an animated figure on the touchline throughout the match at the Allianz Arena
Dortmund will be disheartened by the result as they trail their rivals by two points in the Bundesliga title race.
Dortmund and England star Jude Bellingham was left in disbelief when his team was easily swept away by Munich.
But then everything changed. Little seemed to be happening as Bayern moved the ball through their defense to Dayot Upamecano, who looked to free Leroy Sane with a pass from inside his own half. He had overhit to such an extent that Kobel ran out, ready to punt.
Not so. In one of those moments that will be replayed over and over again and will almost certainly become an Internet GIF, Kobel swung a leg to punt, missed completely, and watched in agony as Sane guided the ball into an open net.
Such was the farce around the goal that even the stadium announcer chuckled as he shouted Upamecano’s name. Tuchel, however, simply yelled for Joshua Kimmich to give some instructions, refusing to celebrate out of respect for his former employers.
As Bayern reeked of blood, Kobel unraveled, and before you knew it, the hosts were out of sight thanks to two goals in seven minutes from Thomas Muller, which the Dortmund keeper should have prevented.
Thomas Muller scored a brace in the afternoon to help secure all three points for the Bavarian team
Muller was seen celebrating with his teammates after giving the hosts a much-needed breather in the match.
Kobel was caught napping when Muller reached the back post to convert Matthias De Ligt’s header and then somehow managed to blast a shot from Sane straight into Muller’s path. As he turned the ball over, Emre Can slammed the ground in frustration and Bellingham roared in fury.
It’s no exaggeration to say Bayern could have had five or six before half-time, with Kingsley Coman guilty of an inexplicable mistake after getting around Kobel but then losing his balance. The France international made amends early in the second period when Sane picked him up.
Dortmund, at least, prevented this from becoming a humiliation and that was mainly down to Bellingham, who kept showing up for the ball and demanding his teammates do the same. He got some reward in the 72nd minute by winning a penalty after being brought down by Serge Gnabry.
Can, the former Liverpool midfielder, dove from 12 meters while Donyell Malen slotted in at the final whistle, but it was too little too late. The game was long gone and, perhaps, their best chance to win the Bundesliga for the first time since 2012 was gone as well. Tuchel will no doubt certainly look forward to it.
Former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can scored a late-game penalty, but it was too late for Dortmund to come back.