Joshua Kimmich rifled Bayern ahead in the 14th minute at the Mewa Arena, Felix Nmecha struck twice from distance at Signal Iduna Park, and by the end of matchday 9 nothing at the top of the Bundesliga had changed. Vincent Kompany’s Bayern lead the table on goal difference, with Niko Kovač’s Dortmund locked onto them step for step.

Kimmich’s opener came from the edge of the box after he pounced on a loose Mainz pass, his shot rifled into the top corner from a Harry Kane assist. Lennart Karl doubled Bayern’s lead in the 57th minute, again set up by Kane. Phillip Tietz pulled one back for Mainz in stoppage time, but by then the points were gone.

The win was not clean. Manuel Neuer was injured during a disallowed Mainz effort late in the first half and had to be replaced by Jonas Urbig, with the match report flagging the goalkeeper’s withdrawal in the 42nd minute. Bayern’s expected-goals count of 3.25 against Mainz’s 0.82 told the story of the game regardless.

Nmecha’s long-range double

In Dortmund, the home side waited until the second half to break through. Nmecha drove in from the edge of the box in the 55th minute, set up by Fabio Silva, and struck his second from 25 yards 16 minutes later, a shot clocked at 124.22 km/h.

Read also: Toto Wolff admits Kimi Antonelli would not have survived at another F1 team

Promoted Elversberg, sitting seventh before kick-off, refused to fade. Noel Futkeu hit the away side’s goal in the 81st minute after a Florian Le Joncour assist, and the final nine minutes turned into a defensive job for the hosts. Dortmund held on, extended their unbeaten start to nine games, and kept pace with Bayern at the top.

21-21 and separated by goals

The table now reads Bayern first on 21 points with a +20 goal difference, Dortmund second on the same points with +9, and RB Leipzig third on 18 after a 5-2 win over Augsburg. No other side is within four points of the leaders after nine rounds.

The two clubs have already met once this season, a 2-2 draw in Munich on October 31. The return fixture at Signal Iduna Park is scheduled for matchday 25 in March 2027.

Read also: “Of course there is tension”: Charles Leclerc opens up on Lewis Hamilton Ferrari rift