Bayern goes four clear with late contentious penalty at Dortmund
Bayern's Robert Lewandowski (R) in action against Dortmund's Mats Hummels (L) during a Bundesliga match in Dortmund, Germany, Dec. 4, 2021. (EPA Photo)


Bayern Munich went four clear at the top of the Bundesliga after Robert Lewandowski's brace gave the German champion a crucial 3-2 victory at title rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

However, the tense tie was marred by a controversial second-half penalty that handed Bayern the victory.

Lewandowski opened his account in the ninth minute to level after Dortmund had taken an early lead through Julian Brandt, and then converted a controversial 77th-minute spot kick to seal victory with his 16th goal of the campaign.

Kingsley Coman had put Bayern in front a minute before the break before Erling Haaland equalized for the hosts with a superbly curled effort in the 48th.

In an action-packed encounter, Dortmund coach Marco Rose was sent off with a second booking for dissent following the penalty decision.

Bayern, chasing a record-extending 10th league crown, move up to 34 points with this sixth straight league win over its rivals, leaving Dortmund in second place on 30. Bayer Leverkusen is in third place on 27.

"I think we deserved to win but I also understand the discussions over the two penalty situations," Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said.

Entertaining first half

Dortmund was fuming about the penalty decision in favor of Bayern after having been denied a video assistant referee (VAR) review in a penalty claim of its own earlier.

"It was a very tight game that was worthy of its reputation. We could have scored more in the first half," Nagelsmann said. "Dortmund did it well early in the second half but we found our rhythm again and had good control."

The game instantly lived up to its billing with Haaland charging through after two minutes and keeper Manuel Neuer clearing the ball just in time.

Brandt did it better a little later, peeling off his marker and thundering in for the lead.

Bayern drew level four minutes later when defender Mats Hummels clumsily tried to clear a high ball before Thomas Mueller got it but the ball fell for Lewandowski.

In a hugely entertaining, end-to-end first half in front of a limited 15,000 crowd, both teams had their share of opportunities, with Haaland firing just wide on the half-hour mark and Coman twice coming close for the visitors.

The winger did get on the score sheet a minute before the break when after another sloppy Dortmund clearance the Frenchman fired in to beat keeper Gregor Kobel.

Three minutes after the restart it was Dortmund's turn to come back, with Jude Bellingham laying the ball off for Haaland on the left and the Norwegian bagging his 51st goal in his 51st Bundesliga match with a delightful curled shot into the top corner.

But the controversial Hummels handball decision following a lengthy VAR review allowed Lewandowski to score his 26th goal in all competitions against his former club.

Bellingham comments face probe

Meanwhile, Bellingham faces an investigation by the German football federation (DFB) for his comments on referee Felix Zwayer after Saturday's defeat.

"The control committee will examine the statement made by Dortmund player Jude Bellingham for its relevance under sports law," Anton Nachreiner, the chairman of the committee, said Sunday when asked by Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

The 18-year-old England international was particularly upset after Dortmund defender Hummels was penalized for handball.

"You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?" said Bellingham in an interview with Norwegian broadcaster Viaplay.

"For me, it wasn't (a penalty). He is not even looking at the ball and he's fighting to get it and it hits him.

"You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game."

Zwayer was banned for six months in 2005 for his involvement in a scandal around former referee Robert Hoyzer fixing matches.

Dortmund was also unhappy a challenge from Lucas Hernandez on captain Marco Reus in the box was not at least reviewed on video, as Zwayer did in the Hummels decision.