Bayern Munich secured their 11th consecutive Bundesliga championship with a late 2-1 victory over Cologne, snatching the title away from Borussia Dortmund in a heart-wrenching fashion in a thrilling final-day showdown.
Jamal Musiala emerged as the hero for Bayern, scoring the winner in the 89th minute to seal the title by the narrowest of margins, leaving Thomas Tuchel’s Dortmund side devastated.
Dortmund, who entered the pulsating final day with a two-point lead at the top, saw their dreams of clinching their first title in 11 years shattered as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Mainz, falling short on goal difference.
Bayern knew they had to secure a victory against Cologne and rely on a favour from Mainz. They took the lead through Kingsley Coman’s stunning eighth-minute strike, and with Mainz racing into a two-goal lead in the first half at Dortmund, the defending champions climbed to the top of the table.
Andreas Hanche-Olsen’s goal in the 15th minute shocked Signal Iduna Park, and moments later, Dortmund had a chance to equalize from the penalty spot after a foul by Dominik Kohr. However, Finn Dahmen saved Sebastien Haller’s penalty, compounding Dortmund’s misery.
Matters worsened for the hosts in 24 minutes when Karim Onisiwo headed home Jae-Sung Lee’s cross, putting Dortmund in a 2-0 deficit. Dortmund began their fightback with just 21 minutes remaining as Raphael Guerreiro’s shot found the net from Gio Reyna’s pass.
Edin Terzic’s team still needed two goals to secure both victory and the championship, provided Bayern maintained their lead in Cologne. The situation changed when Serge Gnabry’s handball resulted in a penalty, which Dejan Ljubicic converted to level the score.
Dortmund fans held onto hope for intervention from elsewhere, but those hopes were dashed when Gnabry set up Musiala for the decisive blow with only two minutes of normal time remaining. Although Niklas Sule equalized for Dortmund in the 96th minute, time ran out before they could find a winning goal.
Dortmund and Bayern both finished with 71 points, but Bayern’s superior goal difference of 15 secured the title in one of the most dramatic Bundesliga season finales. While Bayern celebrated an unexpected triumph, Dortmund’s dreams of lifting their first league trophy since 2012 were shattered when they fell behind 2-0 to Mainz early on and could only manage a draw.
Meanwhile, RB Leipzig and sensational Union Berlin finished in third and fourth place, respectively, securing spots in next season’s Champions League.
Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04 suffered relegation, while VfB Stuttgart will compete in the relegation playoff. Coman’s early goal settled Bayern’s nerves, but with Dortmund trailing in the first half, Bayern controlled the game without taking unnecessary risks.
Leroy Sane thought he had extended Bayern’s lead just before halftime, but his goal was disallowed after a VAR review for handball. As Bayern club officials anxiously checked their phones for the score in Dortmund, Cologne earned an 80th-minute penalty, which Ljubicic converted to level the match.
Sane appeared to have missed the opportunity to secure the title when he failed to beat the Cologne keeper in the 88th minute, but Musiala came to the rescue a minute later. He curled a low drive into the far post, sealing a rollercoaster ending to the season.
