The Bundesliga title race has finally been decided on the final day, with Bayern winning another title as Dortmund fumbled on their opportunity to seal it.
After a decade of Bayern dominance, we were close to seeing a new Bundesliga winner. But alas, it was not to be.
Bayern won an unprecedented 11th consecutive title as they beat Koln 2-1 away, while Dortmund fell short as they drew 2-2 to Mainz. The fact that they lost the title in front of their own fans, the loyal Yellow Wall made it more heartbreaking.
Dortmund was leading by two points before the final day when Bayern themselves lost against RB Leipzig.
How the Bundesliga was decided on the final day
The title was also decided on the final matchday very excitingly with much confusion.
Bayern scored first against Koln and had a goal disallowed. At that same time, Dortmund missed a penalty through Sebastian Haller and also conceded twice.
Toward the end of both games, another twist occurred. Bayern conceded a goal to Koln and Dortmund also scored twice to draw the game. Suddenly Dortmund was back to winning the title. But then Bayern’s young star Jamal Musiala scored a beautiful winning goal from a distance.
Bayern won and Dortmund unfortunately drew in their biggest game of the season. This meant both teams were equal on points but Bayern won because of a higher goal difference.
Reactions to the title
It was Dortmund’s biggest chance in years to win a league title. Bayern had finally stopped dominating in their games. It was also the first time in some years the title wasn’t already won before the final day. Even though they eventually won the title, Bayern sacked both of their directors Hasan SalihamidĹľić and Oliver Kahn. This showcased the high standards that Bayern have even if they won the league title.
The Bavarians celebrated in their ritualistic beer fashion, while the Dortmund players were in tears. Jude Bellingham, who was an unused substitute as he was injured couldn’t control his emotions at full time.
Manager Edin Terzić went to the fans to ask for forgiveness and was in tears as well. But something surprising was the fan reactions. The fans stayed throughout the whole agonizing game. And while they were obviously heartbroken at losing it at the last possible minute, they didn’t falter. They stayed after the game and applauded the players. Even in failure, the Yellow Wall stayed true to its ideals.
The Yellow Wall is still standing strong after Dortmund lost the title race đź’›
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 27, 2023
(via @BVB)pic.twitter.com/xTztwN9YI4
With the season over, Dortmund now has all the time to plan for the next season. While they have a lot of talent, they still need to reinforce more. The loss of Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid is going to become a reality. They can use the cash from the deal to strengthen their team.
Dortmund should not lose hope yet. They can still become league champions if they play their cards right. Meanwhile, Bayern will also strengthen their squad as they will be keen to dominate for years to come.
