Bayern win Bundesliga as Dortmund stumble in dramatic finale
In the dramatic final of the season, Bayern Munich win a record-extending title with a last-ditch goal to draw Dortmund.
Bayern Munich have clinched their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title in dramatic fashion with a 2-1 win on the final day in Cologne courtesy of Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute goal to snatch the trophy from rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund had entered the final game of the season in first place on Saturday, but were stunned by a 2-2 draw against the visitors Mainz 05, allowing Bayern to squeeze past them in their tightest league game in years.
Bayern finished on 71 points, ahead of Dortmund’s goal difference.
Rani Khedira propelled Union Berlin into the Champions League with a late winner over Werder Bremen for 1-0. Union finished fourth, ahead of Freiburg, who lost 2-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt, and behind third-placed RB Leipzig.
Schalke were relegated after a 4-2 defeat in Leipzig, and VFB Stuttgart will contest the relegation/promotion playoff against the team finishing third in the second tier. Hertha BSC had already been relegated.
In a thrilling season finale, Bayern celebrated what eventually turned out to be an unexpected title win, while Dortmund’s dreams of their first league trophy since 2012 were shattered as they trailed Mainz 2-0 early on before battling to a 2-2 draw. .
Dortmund had started from pole position, but Sébastien Haller had saved a first-half penalty after Andreas Hanche-Olsen stunned the home fans by heading in Mainz’s opening goal in the 15th minute.
Karim Onisiwo then got Mainz’s second goal in the 24th with another header and the visitors looked able to score more against the error-prone Dortmund defence. Nothing but pride was at stake for Mainz.
Raphaël Guerreiro pulled one back in the 69th for Dortmund, but by the time Niklas Süle equalized in the sixth minute of stoppage time, it was far too late for the “black-and-yellow”.
While Bayern’s title win saves some silverware in what has been a frustrating season for the club, several major German media outlets reported shortly after the final whistle that club CEO Oliver Kahn, who was not in Cologne, and sports director Hasan Salihamdizic were leaving the club.
The surprise dismissal of Julian Nagelsmann at the end of March and the arrival of Thomas Tuchel was not met with success, as the team crashed into the last eight of the German Cup and Champions League. The Bayern board will meet on May 30.
The Bavarians needed a win and Kingsley Coman calmed their nerves early on and put them ahead with a beautifully curled shot into the top corner.
With Dortmund trailing from the first half, the Bavarians knew they were ahead now and controlled the first half without too many risks.
Leroy Sané came in just before half-time, but his effort did not count after a VAR review for handball.
With Bayern club bosses, including Salihamidzic, nervously checking their mobile phones for the Dortmund score, Cologne earned an 80th-minute penalty and Dejan Ljubicic sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to level.
Sane thought he missed the chance to give his team the title when he failed to beat the Cologne keeper in the 88th, but Musiala did it perfectly a minute later, rolling a low drive into the far post in the end of the roller coaster season.