Bayern Munich defeat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 to retain German Super Cup

First-half dominance and clinical finishing

Bayern Munich secured their second consecutive German Super Cup with a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund at a sold-out stadium in Dortmund. The curtain-raiser, officially titled the Franz-Beckenbauer-Supercup, matched last season's domestic double winners against the Bundesliga runners-up in front of 81,365 spectators, though organized ultra fan groups staged a boycott of the competition. Dortmund created the match's opening opportunity when Serhou Guirassy directed a cross from Konstantinos Karetsas over Manuel Neuer's crossbar from an offside position. Bayern took control shortly after, with midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović testing goalkeeper Gregor Kobel before the visitors claimed the lead in the 28th minute.

Nathaniel Brown, the 23-year-old €50 million arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt who filled the attacking midfield vacancy left by Jamal Musiala, struck with an inside-of-the-foot finish from 16 metres after collecting a pass from Michael Olise. Dortmund appeared to equalise in the 42nd minute when defender Ramy Bensebaini headed home a cross from Julian Ryerson, but the video assistant referee disallowed the effort for offside. Brown nearly scored again on the subsequent counter-attack before Olise doubled Bayern's advantage in first-half stoppage time, intercepting a loose pass in Dortmund's midfield, driving into the penalty box, and placing a left-footed strike into the far corner.

Dortmund fightback and late dismissal

Borussia Dortmund responded in the second half with tactical adjustments, introducing Giannis Konstantelias, Karetsas, and new Dutch midfielder Joey Veerman, who arrived from PSV on Tuesday and entered after an hour of play. Dortmund established sustained attacking pressure and halved the deficit in the 75th minute when substitute forward Fábio Silva finished a sweeping attack following a turnover in Bayern's buildup by defender Jonathan Tah.

Dortmund's pursuit of an equaliser suffered a decisive setback in the 90th minute when Bensebaini received a direct red card for a reckless challenge on Bayern substitute Ismael Saibari, who had entered ten minutes prior to full time. Despite playing with ten men during added time, the home side created one final opportunity to level the score and force penalties, but Germany international Maximilian Beier shot over the crossbar when completely unmarked.

Reactions and squad form

The match took place before Germany national team head coach Jürgen Klopp and politician Friedrich Merz in the VIP stands. Harry Kane, who received the European Golden Shoe award on Wednesday as the continent's top goalscorer for the second time in his career, made his first competitive start of the campaign under manager Vincent Kompany without finding the net.

It was a big win to start the season.

Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich, who operated alongside Pavlović, Tah, and Brown, detailed the squad's focus prior to kickoff.

Against Dortmund it is always a special game, a highlight. We want to take the first title straight away. Everyone is hot for the win.

Bayern played the fixture without Musiala, who was omitted from the matchday squad after falling ill during two recent pre-season friendly matches. The victory earned Bayern either their 12th or 13th Super Cup title, depending on historical records, and Vincent Kompany's squad now opens the Bundesliga season on Friday against VfB Stuttgart.