Lewandowski scores hat-trick, Bayern fight back to win Der Klassiker

Bayern Munich rallied from 2-0 down on the strength of Robert Lewandowski's hat-trick to defeat Borussia Dortmund 4-2 in Saturday's helter-skelter Der Klassiker.

Erling Haaland gave Dortmund a surprising early lead with a clinical brace in the opening nine minutes, scoring from long and close range. But Lewandowski responded with a pair of strikes, swinging momentum in Bayern's favor with a tap-in and penalty kick before the interval.

Bayern dominated the second half and found the breakthrough in the 88th minute when the ball bounced nicely for Leon Goretzka to smash it home.

Lewandowski completed his treble shortly after with a low drive that found the corner. He leads the Bundesliga with 31 goals in just 23 appearances.

Dortmund will now sweat over Haaland's fitness ahead of their Champions League match against Sevilla on Tuesday. The Norwegian hobbled off in the second half after being clipped in the ankle by Bayern defender Jerome Boateng.

Bayern regained first place in the Bundesliga with the win, restoring a two-point cushion over RB Leipzig.

Leipzig had provisionally moved into the lead with a convincing 3-0 victory over SC Freiburg earlier in the day.

But Bayern showed their mettle once again from a losing position, having conceded the first goal for the third time in their last four Bundesliga matches.