By Samuel A. May 28, 2023
Borussia Dortmund wasted a golden opportunity to end Bayern Munich’s decade-long reign as title holder and clinch the Bundesliga title after falling to a 2-2 draw at home to Mainz. Bayern clinched the title by beating Köln 2-1 in one of the most exciting season finales in recent memory.
Going into the final day, the title was within Dortmund’s grasp. It held a two-point advantage over Bayern at the top of the table, they had home advantage for the final match and a parade had even been planned. On the other hand, Bayern required a win and had to hope for a Dortmund loss or draw, though Dortmund could still lose the match and if Bayern lost or drew, the title would be heading to the Signal Iduna. Bayern understood that they needed to beat Cologne and hope for a favour from Mainz, and having led through Kingsley Coman’s stunning eighth-minute strike, the defending champions moved on top as Mainz raced into a two-goal lead in the first half at Dortmund. Andreas Hanche-Olsen gave the visitors the lead in the 15th minute to shock Signal Iduna Park. Two minutes later, Dortmund were handed a reprieve after a foul inside the box by Dominik Kohr – but Sebastien Haller’s penalty was saved by Finn Dahmen. Matters got even worse for the hosts on 24 minutes when Karim Onisiwo rose to head home Jae-Sung Lee’s cross from the left.
Dortmund only began their response with 21 minutes left, as Raphael Guerreiro’s shot from Gio Reyna’s pass found the bottom corner. Edin Terzic’s side still needed two goals to win the match and the championship, provided Bayern stayed ahead in Cologne. That changed, however, when a handball by Serge Gnabry allowed Dejan Ljubicic to level from the spot. And with just one minute of regular time remaining, Dortmund was indeed set to be crowned champion. Although it was trailing 2-1 in its own game against Mainz, Bayern had conceded an 81st minute equalizer against Köln, putting Dortmund a point ahead in the table. As news of Köln’s goal got into Signal Iduna Park, the crowd burst into a momentary delirium, the fans cheered. After all, there were only nine minutes of regular time left as each thud of the drums echoing around the stadium carried Dortmund one second closer to a first title since 2012. From the brink of elation, despair set in as Jamal Musiala rifled the ball into the net, restoring Bayern’s lead in the 89th minute. Five minutes of injury time remained and there was still time for another twist. Nicklas Sule’s goal made it 2-2 in the last possible minute and Dortmund continued to press, but it wasn’t just enough.
The final whistle blew soon after, and it had Dortmund’s players slump to the ground, realizing that somehow, the title slipped off their hands in the most agonizing fashion. All around them, the stadium fell into a stunned silence, as fans attempted to comprehend what they had seen. They applauded manager Edin Terzić, a boyhood Dortmund fan, who stood before them in tears. Meanwhile, across Germany, in Cologne, the traveling Bayern fans celebrated with their team as they lifted the Meisterschale.
Dortmund finished on 71 points – the same as Bayern following their victory – but with an inferior goal difference of 15 on one of the most dramatic ends to any Bundesliga season. In a climactic season finale, Bayern were celebrating what ended up being an unexpected title win, while Dortmund’s dreams of their first league trophy since 2012 were left in tatters when they were trailing 2-0 to Mainz early on before battling to a 2-2 draw, but they needed victory to become champions.
In a further twist, Bayern announced immediately after their title triumph they had fired CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
Manager Thomas Tuchel said on the news of Kahn and Salihamidzic leaving: “I’ve known since yesterday. Today it will be announced, also in the dressing room. Hasan called me eight weeks ago, with Oli Kahn, and persuaded and convinced me that we should do it together. They were largely responsible for it, they gave us credit for it, so I have to process it first. Instead of celebrating, we now have the next political topic.” When asked if he would continue, Tuchel replied with a smile: “I’m assuming so now.”
Meanwhile, RB Leipzig and sensational Union Berlin finished third and fourth respectively and will also compete in the Champions League next season. Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04 were relegated, while VfB Stuttgart will go into the relegation play-off.
