Dortmund Beat Bayern 2-0 In The Klassiker To End Bundesliga Title ...

After ten years, Dortmund finally win in Munich to end Bayern's dominance over the Bundesliga. ... [+] (Photo by Stefan Matzke - sampics/Corbis via Getty Images)

The wait for Dortmund fans is finally over. After 3641 days, the Black and Yellows have finally won a game against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. Borussia Dortmund defeated the Rekordmeister 2-0 thanks to goals by Munich-born Karim Adeyemi (10’) and Norwegian wing-back Julian Ryerson (83’).

Indeed, one must go all the way back to April 2014 to find Dortmund’s last win at the Allianz Arena. Pep Guardiola was in his first season at Bayern, and the club had already secured their second title in a row. Dortmund, in the meantime, was still coached by Jürgen Klopp and while Bayern was lightyears ahead in the standings, there was still a sense that this fixture deserved the term Klassiker.

Ten years later, there was some doubt about whether the game deserved the Klassiker classification. Not only had Bayern won the title 11 years in a row, but Dortmund suffered loss after loss in Munich. The club also gifted Bayern the title on two occasions, most famously last season, when the Black and Yellows threw away the title by failing to beat lowly Mainz.

Then there is the fact that neither club had a say in the title race, at least not at this season stage. Although Bayern director of sport Max Eberl claimed in an interview earlier this week that Bayern would never give up on the title, the ten-point gap to Leverkusen always made the 12th title in a row close to a mission impossible.

“Yes! if I didn't, I would be in the wrong place,” Eberl said in an interview with Sky Germany earlier this week. “Of course, it's ten points and eight games. But Leverkusen hasn't lost a game yet. If it happens, then they have to deal with it differently. We can only do our part: keep the pressure up and win games.”

For a moment this matchday, it looked like that could happen. With just two minutes of regular time to go, Leverkusen was down 1-0 to Hoffenheim earlier on Saturday. But then Robert Andrich (88’) and Patrik Schick (91’) turned the result around, bringing a potential seven-point gap back to 10 points.

Then the events at the Allianz Arena unfolded, with Dortmund playing like they did so often in the Champions League this season. Furthermore, key Bayern players like Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala seemed out of sorts, and on top of that, Sven Ulreich struggled to replace regular no.1 Manuel Neuer.

Dortmund celebrate their first Klassiker win in ten years. But irony has it that while dethroning ... [+] their rivals, it will be Leverkusen that will benefit from the win. (Photo by Stefan Matzke - sampics/Corbis via Getty Images)

"We don't need to talk about the title,” Ulreich said to German magazine kicker after the game. “We are 13 points behind and have no say in the matter. Leverkusen are doing well and winning their games 'dirty.'"

Dortmund, in the meantime, played like a team without pressure. The years of angst of having to perform in Munich seemed to melt away like the hundreds of visitors that left the Allianz Arena early when Bayern’s defeat became a reality.

Moments after the game, you could spot Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke sitting next to Matthias Sammer with a cigarette in his mouth, enjoying the moment. For Dortmund, this is a big moment; they have finally won in Munich. But there is also an irony in that the victory put the final nail in Bayern’s Bundesliga season but did not make Dortmund champions but another rival.

While Leverkusen has been cruising to the title for some time, there was still a doubt that it could happen. Too many still remember the 2002 season when Leverkusen became Neverkusen after the club threw away three titles: the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and Champions League.

Even though that is now 22 years ago, history can be a significant burden, and even with Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso announcing—what most Bundesliga insiders had known for months—that he was going to stay, the doubt was still there.

Ironically, thanks to Dortmund’s win over Bayern, that final sense of doubt can now be pushed away. Leverkusen now needs nine more points in their last seven games to win the title. As far as sports narratives go, this one is hard to beat.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth and on Threads: @manuveth