Gio Reyna could do nothing but watch as Bayern Munich battered Borussia Dortmund in a blow to the latter's title dreams.
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Bayern cruise at DortmundKane nets hat-trickReyna stuck on the bench
After dropping the title to their famous rivals last season, Dortmund's chances of winning the Bundesliga this season may already be over following Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Signal Iduna Park.
That hope evaporated early, too, as Dortmund conceded twice early and proceeded to get battered throughout the 90 minutes. Led by Harry Kane's hat-trick, Bayern could have had five or six, but had to settle for four as they made their own statement in the Bundesliga race.
GettyWHAT HAPPENED?
It didn't take long for Bayern to seize control, and they did so through an unlikely goalscorer. Dayot Upamecano was the one that provided the opener, as the Frenchman scored from a corner just four minutes in to silence the crowd.
By the time Kane scored five minutes later, hope had largely been drained from a Dortmund team, who found themselves down two goals inside nine minutes. From that point forward, Bayern could have netted four or five, having been denied three times by the offside flag.
Kane, though, did put the game away, scoring in the 72nd minute to complete his brace, making it 3-0 in the process. He added his third and the game's fourth in stoppage time, adding further embarrassment for Dortmund in the process.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The loss is just the latest setback for Dortmund under the bright lights as the club, as a whole, continues to struggle in these big matches.
Dortmund bottled the title on the last day of last season, ending their campaign in heartbreak. They lost, 4-2, to Bayern back in April as well in a match that could have seen them take a major step towards the title.
With the defeat, Dortmund fall to fourth place in the Bundesliga on 21 points, level with Stuttgart who have a better goal difference and a game in hand. Bayern, meanwhile, are second on 26 points, two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Getty ImagesUSMNT IMPACT
Normally, it would be a concern to see Reyna not get off the bench in a game of this magnitude but, by the time it made sense to bring him on, the game was far, far gone. Bringing Reyna on was likely deemed to be an unnecessary risk for a player that can change games, but also has had plenty of injury issues.
Reyna had been in something of a rhythm, getting some good minutes in recent weeks prior to this game, and those ahead of him in the pecking order didn't do much to win Edin Terzic over ahead of a big Champions League match midweek.
Getty ImagesGOAL'S RATINGS
Gio Reyna (N/A):
Was stuck on the bench throughout, not that there was much he'd be able to do as Dortmund crumbled early.