Against the odds, Bayern Munich have captured their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title following a 2-1 victory over Koln. Borussia Dortmund may have entered the final day two points ahead in the table, leaving Bayern out of control of their own destiny, but the German giants never lost hope that they would push on and do what they could, while getting helped out by Dortmund's collapse at home. Bayern almost threw away their title, blowing an early lead provided by a goal from Kingsley Coman by conceding an 80th-minute penalty before Jamal Musiala won the German giants the title with his 89th-minute winner.
The Black and Yellow, on the other hand, needed a victory and made a mess of it, drawing at home at the worst time possible, with their late rally to tie Mainz 2-2 not being enough. Only 25 minutes into the match, Mainz were ahead 2-0, the second coming only moments after Dortmund players were arguing over who would take a penalty until Sebastian Haller eventually fired a tame effort at Finn Dahmen. These aren't scuffles that teams aspiring to win the title can afford. Everything needs to go right when you're facing Bayern, which is why even with two managerial changes this season, Bayern were able to capture the Bundesliga yet again.
It's a hollow title for Bayern who struggled for much of the year, changing managers from Julian Nagelsmann to Thomas Tuchel late on in the season, but beating their rivals to it on the final day of the season still provides some solace for a fanbase that is only satisfied with doubles or trebles of trophies. A lot of work needs to be done during the summer to ensure that Bayern can have a smoother time next season but they've accomplished their minimum goal with no room for error.
For the majority of these games, it felt like Bayern would win the title easily after Dortmund went behind and struggled to get back into the match but when news of the Bayern penalty went around Signal Iduna Park, fans cheered as it seemed like Dortmund would maintain their lead, backing into the tile even without winning. But that feeling of joy was a fleeting one before Musiala scored a winner that helped Bayern win the title.
American Gio Reyna did change the game for Dortmund assisting their opening goal and creating numerous chances but even with Niklas Sule finding an equalizer deep into stoppage time, there wasn't enough time for Dortmund to push on for a winner. Jude Bellingham was on the bench for the match and could be in Madrid next season as both Dortmund and Bayern could be staring into summers of rebuilding but it's only Bayern that can do it on the optimism of securing the league title.
