Bayern Munich capitalised on a favour from Mainz as a spectacular end to the Bundesliga season saw them claim the title once again.
Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute strike saw Bayern Munich win 2-1 at Koln and snatch the Bundesliga title from Borussia Dortmund in stunning fashion on Saturday.
A shock 3-1 loss at home to RB Leipzig last weekend meant Bayern needed a win against Koln – combined with Dortmund failing to beat mid-table Mainz – to retain the trophy.
Despite BVB drawing 2-2 with Mainz, the title looked to be on its way to Dortmund after Dejan Ljubicic’s 81st-minute penalty cancelled out Kingsley Coman’s brilliant opener for Bayern.
However, Musiala found the bottom corner with a terrific effort as stoppage time loomed, sealing Bayern’s 11th straight Bundesliga crown in a dramatic ending to an enthralling title race.
Bayern went ahead after just eight minutes, Coman cutting onto his right foot before arrowing superbly into the top-right corner.
Thomas Muller nearly doubled his team’s lead when his acrobatic header came back off the woodwork, as news reached the ground of Dortmund falling two goals behind against Mainz.
Sane thought he had made it 2-0 before half-time when he coolly slotted into the bottom-left corner, but a VAR review penalised him for handball in the build-up as Bayern went into the break 45 minutes away from another title.
Dortmund would pull a goal back, and Bayern’s title hopes looked to have received a killer blow nine minutes from time, Serge Gnabry handling from Denis Huseinbasic’s cross before Ljubicic coolly slotted his penalty into the bottom-left corner.
There would be another twist, though, as Musiala rifled home late on to spark wild celebrations and haul Bayern back to the summit.
Niklas Sule scored a 96th-minute equaliser for Dortmund, but it would count for nothing as Bayern held on for three points and a spectacular Bundesliga triumph.
What does it mean? Tuchel delivers title after mid-season arrival
There were eyebrows raised when Julian Nagelsmann was sacked in March despite Bayern being just a point behind league leaders Dortmund, but his replacement Thomas Tuchel has managed to get the Bavarian side’s name etched on the trophy yet again.
They were certainly made to work against Koln, who accumulated 1.28 xG to Bayern’s 1.26 and can probably feel aggrieved not to have earned at least a point.
However, a moment of magic from Musiala meant Tuchel’s men became the first team in 23 seasons to go into the final matchday not in first place and still claim the Bundesliga title.
Musiala’s iconic moment snatches title
Musiala’s rise to stardom has been special and his goal to steal the title from Dortmund will go down as his best moment to date.
The 20-year-old came on with five minutes to play and sealed the win with a sublime finish, cutting onto his right foot before drilling his only shot of the game into the bottom-right corner.
Bayern win despite profligate Sane
This could have been a completely different story had Musiala not popped up with his excellent late goal, rendering a big miss from Sane moments earlier insignificant.
Sane was put through by Mathys Tel, but his shot was saved by Marvin Schwabe. It summed up a wasteful display from the former Manchester City man, who hit the target with just one of his six attempts and failed to score from his 0.84 xG.
What’s next?
Bayern will head into next season bidding for a 12th straight title in Tuchel’s first full campaign at the helm, while Koln will look to build on their steady 11th-placed finish.
