DORTMUND, GERMANY — Joshua Kimmich broke Borussia Dortmund hearts with a clinical 87th-minute finish to hand Bayern Munich a breathless 3-2 victory in one of the most dramatic Der Klassiker encounters Signal Iduna Park has witnessed in recent memory. Harry Kane's double had put the visitors in command, but Daniel Svensson's equaliser in the 83rd minute threatened to deny Bayern — only for Kimmich to deliver the killer blow four minutes later, sending the travelling support into raptures and leaving the yellow wall stunned.
The opening exchanges set the tone for a ferocious contest. Bayern Munich dominated possession with 66.9%, pinning Borussia Dortmund back for long stretches, and the visitors struck first. Michael Olise tested Gregor Kobel in the 16th minute with a left-footed effort from the right side of the box, the Dortmund goalkeeper smothering comfortably. Kimmich then rattled Kobel's fingertips in the 24th minute, his right-footed drive from outside the box tipped onto the bar — a warning Dortmund heeded only briefly.
Against the run of play, the hosts seized the lead. In the 26th minute, Daniel Svensson delivered a precise cross from a set piece, and Nico Schlotterbeck rose majestically at the centre of the box to power a header into the bottom right corner. Signal Iduna Park erupted, and for a spell, Dortmund looked capable of holding their shape against Bayern's relentless pressure.
The second half told a different story. Bayern's superiority in possession began to tell, and Harry Kane drew the visitors level in the 54th minute, latching onto Serge Gnabry's deft headed pass and guiding a composed left-footed finish into the bottom left corner from the centre of the box. Dortmund, to their credit, kept pushing — Maximilian Beier twice went close, firing over in the 55th minute and seeing a close-range effort blocked in the 56th — but Bayern's quality was beginning to assert itself.
The pivotal moment arrived in the 69th minute when Nico Schlotterbeck, who had been Dortmund's hero earlier, became their villain. A foul on Josip Stanisic inside the penalty area handed Kane the chance to put Bayern ahead from the spot, and the England striker obliged without hesitation, drilling a right-footed penalty into the bottom left corner in the 70th minute. Dortmund's task now looked formidable.
Yet this was a Klassiker, and the drama was far from over. Substitute Serhou Guirassy went agonisingly close in the 86th minute, his right-footed effort from the centre of the box narrowly missing to the right after a rapid Dortmund counter. Then, in the 83rd minute — just before Kimmich's winner — Marcel Sabitzer delivered a teasing cross from the right, and Svensson swept a composed right-footed finish into the bottom left corner to make it 2-2. The ground shook. Dortmund sensed something extraordinary was within reach.
But Kimmich, one of the game's great competitors, had the final word. Four minutes after Svensson's leveller, the Bayern midfielder collected possession in the centre of the box and arrowed a left-footed strike into the top left corner — a finish of the highest quality under the most intense pressure. It was his second goal of the match and, ultimately, the one that mattered most. The moment encapsulated everything about this thrilling encounter: a match where momentum swung violently, where heroes became villains and back again, and where individual brilliance decided the outcome.
The statistics underscored Bayern's dominance throughout the ninety minutes. Despite registering 10 attempts, Borussia Dortmund managed just 2 on target, with Kobel making three crucial saves at the other end. Bayern registered 14 shots, six of which troubled the keeper, reflecting their superior efficiency in the final third. Dortmund committed 15 fouls to Bayern's 10, with a yellow card shown to the hosts, reflecting the desperation that crept into their play as the game wore on. The five corners Dortmund earned — compared to Bayern's two — hinted at a side chasing the game through set pieces rather than open play, a tactical shift born of necessity rather than design.
Bayern Munich now sit eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with 60 points from 23 games, their title credentials beyond serious question. For Dortmund, second place and 52 points feels increasingly like a consolation prize as the season enters its decisive phase. The contrast in emotions was stark: Bayern prepare to host Borussia Mönchengladbach on March 6 with momentum and confidence, while Dortmund must dust themselves off before travelling to face FC Cologne on March 7, their title hopes hanging by an increasingly fragile thread.