Kovac: The world-class quality of Kimmich was simply decisive

Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac hailed the performance of Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich, who scored the winner in Der Klassiker on Saturday.

With the scoreline level at 2-2, Kimmich volleyed past Gregor Kobel in the 87th minute at Signal Iduna Park to see Bayern move 11 points clear at the Bundesliga summit.

Kimmich also played a key role in Harry Kane’s first goal of the match, with the midfielder registering the most touches (103), most completed passes (81) and shots on target (three) of any player.

It marks the end of a tough week for Dortmund, who were knocked out of the Champions League by Atalanta in dramatic fashion on Wednesday.

Although Kovac felt his team could have done better defensively, he was full of praise for the opposition, and Kimmich in particular.

“In the end, the world-class quality of Joshua Kimmich was simply decisive,” said Kovac.

Defeat at home. pic.twitter.com/plMnzK4sGY

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 28, 2026

“How he assisted the first goal and scored the third – that was the key.

“We wanted a good result going into the break, and we achieved that. In the second half, it became a real shootout.

“Bayern this season is offensively absolute world-class – almost everyone concedes multiple goals against them.

“Defensively, we could have done better. Offensively, I was satisfied with my team. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

“We now have more free days and want to continue developing. For us, it’s about staying close to Bayern in the table in a composed manner.”

Dortmund will now have a week off before travelling to Koln on March 7, though the Bundesliga title is perhaps beyond them now.