Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga title for the 11th consecutive season after securing a dramatic final-day victory over Cologne. Dortmund, who were two points clear of Bayern, crumbled under pressure and drew at home to Mainz, which helped to seal Bayern’s victory. Dortmund’s disastrous first-half performance saw Mainz go two goals ahead, and forward Sebastian Haller missed a penalty. Meanwhile, Bayern went ahead within ten minutes thanks to an early goal from winger Kingsley Coman. Although a late penalty from Cologne midfielder Dejan Ljubicic looked like it might cause late drama, Bayern forward Jamal Musiala netted on 89 minutes to secure a memorable 2-1 victory.
Despite a turbulent season for the German club, which included a change in management, Bayern managed to steer themselves to yet another league triumph, continuing their decade-long dominance. Bayern parted ways with manager Julian Nagelsmann on March 24 and replaced him with Thomas Tuchel. At that stage of the season, Bayern was in a title challenge with Dortmund and RB Leipzig, and in the Champions League. However, they crashed out of the European competition at the quarterfinal stage to Manchester City, leaving Tuchel with the sole focus on the league as the team exited the DFB-Pokal at the quarterfinal stage to Freiburg.
Bayern had also endured a series of off-field mishaps this season, including goalkeeper Manuel Neuer breaking his leg while skiing in December after the World Cup. Additionally, there was the fallout from the departure of goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic in January. In April, star signing Sadio Mane was stood down for a game after an altercation with teammate Leroy Sane after their first-leg defeat to City on April 11.
On the pitch, Bayern sometimes struggled, too. In the penultimate game of the season, Tuchel’s side suffered a major blow to their title hopes in a stunning 3-1 home defeat to RB Leipzig, meaning Dortmund would enter the final day with a two-point advantage. However, with Dortmund struggling under pressure on Saturday, Bayern was able to seal the championship in the final few minutes of the season and sustain their dominance of German football.
Bayern’s reign of dominance looked as though it was going to come to an end in the second half of the campaign. However, the March arrival of Thomas Tuchel managed to steer the club to yet another league triumph. Despite a turbulent season, Bayern was able to secure the title in the final few minutes of the season, which marked their 33rd German top-flight title.
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