Beier, Guirassy strike! Borussia Dortmund dispatches RB Leipzig, sends Bayern Munich atop Bundesliga

Danke, BVB! Comeback kids and German internationals take center stage as another Bayern rival slips up.

Bayern Munich got another leg up in this year’s Bundesliga title race, courtesy of perennial rivals Borussia Dortmund.

The Bavarians are seeking to reclaim top spot in the German top flight after being knocked off its eleven-year perch last season by Bayer Leverkusen. Entering Saturday, Bayern was level on points with RB Leipzig — but BVB secured a come-from-behind home victory to send Die Roten Bullen tumbling down to second.

Leipzig is having a roaring start to 2024/25 so far, and striker Benjamin Šeško helped his side draw first blood in the 27th minute, collecting a clever backheel from Loïs Openda inside the box to leave Dortmund keeper Alexander Meyer with no chance.

But Dortmund struck back right away through Maximilian Beier, in the starting lineup for just the third time in the league this season. The 22-year-old German international featured in Julian Nagelsmann’s EURO 2024 call-ups but has been out of the team lately — perhaps goals like this, well taken off the turn in the scramble after a set piece, will catch the national team manager’s eye.

Beier helped complete the comeback in the second half, supplying the cross for another Bundesliga comeback kid: Serhou Guirassy. Both Beier and Guirassy had soaring seasons for different teams in 2023/24, and both have been finding their feet since moving to Dortmund. Now they have completed a terrific comeback that may have title implications…although perhaps not for themselves.

The Black and Yellows remained in the ascendancy for the balance of the game, but both sides took their chances to change the narrow scoreline. Emre Can cleared off the line in the 71st minute to deny Leipzig an equalizer, and in the next minute Julian Brandt was smashing a deadly volley towards goal, only to be denied superbly by Leipzig and Hungary No. 1 Péter Gulácsi.

The top of the table now looks like this after nine matchdays:

Despite the defeat, Leipzig are still front-runners alongside Bayern, trailing only three points behind. Vincent Kompany’s men can still ill afford a setback themselves.

Eintracht Frankfurt, Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, SC Freiburg, and Bayern’s newly-downed foes Union Berlin straggle behind in the second group. Much time remains to change the course of the race. For now, though, Bayern will take the assist — and the comfort, if in small measure, of breathing room at the top.