Bayern Munich grabbed a record-extending 11th straight Bundesliga title as Borussia Dortmund. It hoped to clinch the first trophy in 11 years, which dashed following a shock 2-2 draw at home to Mainz.
While a 90th-minute goal from Jamal Musiala sealed a late 2-1 win for Bayern at the Cologne, the draw then pushed Dortmund to the second spot in the dramatic finale of this season.
🏆 𝐅𝐂 𝐁𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐/𝟐𝟑 𝐁𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒! 🏆#MiaSanMeister pic.twitter.com/ku4vR9NuFH
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) May 27, 2023
Dortmund knew that a win guaranteed a title, but was 2-0 down after 25 minutes after striker Sebastien Haller missed a penalty.
CHAMPIONS! ❤️ @FCBayern claim their spot at the top of the Bundesliga mountain once more! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/WBJFhh83xH
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 27, 2023
Dortmund scored about two second-half goals to draw the game, but points were not enough as Bayern won the title on goal difference.
Heading into the final matchday, Dortmund had two clear tables atop; Bayern knew that only a win could give them hope for the title.
France forward Kingsley Coman struck after eight minutes to set down the gauntlet to Dortmund while playing an hour to the north.
Despite the bright start, Dortmund found themselves behind 1-0 after 15 minutes; Andreas Hanche-Olsen tapped in from a corner.
Dortmund got a lifeline when Raphael Guerreiro was brought down to the box, but Sebastien Haller failed to convert the penalty.
Mainz doubled the lead shortly after Onisiwo headed in from close range as the visitors started to tear up the home fans’ script.
The home side that scored 15 goals in the past three home games lacked potency and grew nervous in front of goal, while Mainz grew bullish and had several chances on the counter.
With winding the time down, Guerreiro gave the home side hope while scoring within 20 minutes remaining.
Word filtered around the ground that Cologne had equalized with ten minutes remaining, Dejan Ljubicic converted the spot, but Musiala’s strike again took Bayern atop the table.
Niklas Suele added another in the six minutes of injury time, but Dortmund could not conjure the comeback, which broke Bayern’s hold on the German title.
However, on a brighter spot for the disappointed home side, Schalke’s arch-rivals were relegated after a 4-2 loss at RB Leipzig.
Schalke fought back to equalize from two goals down, but Leipzig scored twice in the last 10 minutes to secure the fate of Schalke.
Elsewhere, Union Berlin also secured Champions League football for the first time with a 1-0 home win over Werder Bremen.
The captain of Union, Rani Khedira, scored a goal with nine minutes remaining. It also ensures victory for the home side while keeping them alive for a remarkable fourth season in the top division.
In fact, on track for the first ever Champions League, berth needed Union to slip up, with Freiburg losing 2-1 away at Frankfurt. After leading 1-0 after a strike by Vincenzo Grifo, Friedberg conceded two goals in the last 10 minutes and will play Europa League in the coming seasons.
The draw of Stuttgart at Hoffenheim with a 1-1 draw means that they finished third last. However, it ensured the shot to stay in the second division through the relegation playoff.
Bochum’s win by 3-0 at Leverkusen ensured they would play top-division football for another season, taking them from second last to the safety of 14th.
A ten-man Augsburg also lost 2-0 at Borussia Moenchengladbach but will stay up by finishing 15th.
By 2-1, Relegated Hertha Berlin won at Wolfsburg, denying the hosts a chance at leapfrogging Leverkusen in Europe.
Source: TOI