Bayern Munich Leave It Late To Snatch The Bundesliga Title From Borussia Dortmund
Jamal Musiala scored in the 89th minute for Bayern Munich to snatch the Bundesliga title from Borussia Dortmund with a 2-1 victory at Cologne after Dortmund could only draw on the final day of the season.
Dortmund, which was leading by two points before the last round, was held 2-2 at home by Mainz on Saturday, allowing Bayern to finish in first place because of its better goal difference.
“We were one round away before this game, we were 90 minutes from bringing the trophy back to Dortmund,” coach Edin Terzić said. “In the end we were one goal away. And that’s very close. Tomorrow we’ll be 34 rounds away again, and then we’ll work on it, we’ll stand up. From July we’ll invest everything again to do it better than we did this year. … Now it’s about simply using the next 34 rounds to finally manage it.”
Bayern announced shortly after winning its 11th straight title that it had fired chief executive Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić.
Both were under scrutiny for their decision to fire Julian Nagelsmann as coach in March and replace him with Thomas Tuchel right before the team’s Champions League and German Cup exits.
Tuchel said Friday that even a Bundesliga title win would not mask what has been an unsatisfactory season for the Bavarian powerhouse.
Kahn responded to his firing on Twitter, where he congratulated the team and said he’d like to celebrate with the players “but unfortunately I can’t be there today because I wasn’t allowed by the club.”
It’s just the third time Bayern managed to jump to first place on the last day of the season after it edged Werder Bremen to the title in 1986 and Bayer Leverkusen in 2000.
“I think anyone who’s interested in soccer, particularly German soccer, will say we don’t deserve it, and I understand, because our second half of the season was so chaotic,” Bayern veteran Thomas Müller said. “But this moment is still unbelievable for the group. That’s what will be remembered, it’s crazy.”
Dortmund fans were celebrating when Cologne’s Dejan Ljubicic scored an equalizing penalty in the 81st minute against Bayern – which needed to win – but Musiala came on as a substitute four minutes later and scored four minutes after that to send the title Bayern’s way.
“We had nothing to lose at this stage. We simply had to score a goal. This time it went in for me,” said the 20-year-old Musiala.
Dortmund had started in pole position, but Bayern’s Kingsley Coman struck in the eighth minute against Cologne to increase the pressure.
