Rivals of the Yellow Wall: The Five Unforgettable Bayern Munich vs Dortmund Battles
17 October 2025
For years, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have dominated German football, delivering legendary der Klassiker battles across the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, and the Champions League. The official Bundesliga site highlights five historic meetings that defined the rivalry in the modern era, from dramatic late twists to tactical masterclasses. Here are the five most memorable der Klassiker moments that still echo in stadiums and highlight reels today.
5) Dortmund 3-2 Bayern Munich — Week 11, 2018-2019
Dortmund were riding high at the top of the table, with a positive setup heading into a clash against the reigning champions Bayern Munich on November 10, 2018. Bayern started with intent, narrowing a small points gap with a dazzling display from Serge Gnabry who laid on the opener for Robert Lewandowski, the former Dortmund star. Then Marco Reus converted from the spot to bring Dortmund level, before Gnabry again combined with Lewandowski to restore Bayern’s lead. Behind the Yellow Wall, Dortmund found a lifeline as Reus leveled once more from a set piece. The decisive moment arrived when a substitute, Paco Alcácer, finished a clever move behind the defense after a jinking run sparked by Jadon Sancho’s pressure in midfield. A late offside call denied Lewandowski, keeping the scoreline tense and memorable as the classic roars on the stands faded into history.
4) Dortmund 1-0 Bayern Munich — Week 30, 2011-2012
The rivalry reached near-climactic intensity during Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund era. As Bayern pressed, Lewandowski’s 77th-minute strike proved enough to secure a narrow win for Dortmund in a match that felt like a title decider. In the dying moments, Manuel Neuer saved a late Arjen Robben penalty, preserving Dortmund’s advantage. The game’s drama extended to the post-match mood, with Dortmund celebrating a victory that fortified their belief they could beat Bayern on the road to another title, a belief that would carry into the next season’s duel.
3) Dortmund 5-2 Bayern Munich — DFB-Pokal Final, 2011-2012
The cup final delivered fireworks and a dramatic narrative arc: Dortmund sprinted ahead with a quick strike, Bayern equalized through a penalty, and the tempo swung wildly as Lewandowski and a Polish-prolific attack staged a second-half onslaught. Dortmund pulled clear with a multi-goal burst and sealed a historic 5-2 victory, clinching a domestic double and signaling a turning point in German football’s power balance. The sheer scale of the win left Bayern’s defense recovering and fans savoring a day that would echo for years.
2) Bayern Munich 2-1 Dortmund — 2012-2013 UEFA Champions League Final
London’s Wembley hosted a showdown described as the first all‑German final in the competition’s modern era. Bayern took the lead through Mario Mandžukić, Dortmund equalized via Ilkay Gündogan from the spot, and Arjen Robben’s late, decisive strike sealed a 2-1 victory for the Bavarians. The clash underlined Bayern’s continental supremacy that season and intensified the local rivalry as both clubs chased national and European glory in parallel.
1) Dortmund 0-1 Bayern Munich — Week 28, 2019-2020
With the title race tightening and matches behind closed doors due to extraordinary circumstances, Bayern edged Dortmund in a crucial late-season meeting. Joshua Kimmich’s outstanding lob over the goalkeeper yielded the decisive goal, a moment that underscored the strategic maturity Bayern had built under Hansi Flick. The victory widened the gap at the top and reinforced Bayern’s claim to be the dominant force of the era, while Dortmund absorbed another bitter lesson in a rivalry that never truly sleeps.
Two punchlines to close: If this derby were a movie franchise, the sequels would still out-earn the original. And if football had a truth serum, every bite-sized highlight reel would confess: the legacy of these clashes is less about trophies and more about turning 90 minutes into a lifetime of debate.
