Borussia Dortmund throw away Bundesliga title in final-day epic as Musiala scores last-minute winner for Bayern Munich
JUDE BELLINGHAM’S farewell party fell flat as Borussia Dortmund showed Arsenal how you bottle a title.
Real Madrid-bound Bellingham, left on the bench after injury, was powerless to prevent his team throwing away the chance to win their first Bundesliga since 2012.
An amazing season had a fitting climax, but not the one that most of Germany wanted as Bayern Munich claimed their 11th championship in a row, by the fine margin of goal difference.
Dortmund needed simply to beat Mainz at home to pip arch-rivals Bayern Munich to the crown but a nervous first half in which everything went wrong cost them dearly.
Sebastien Haller failed to convert a penalty just after Mainz took the lead and the Black and Yellows found themselves two down at the break.
Edin Terzic’s team were left to find at least three goals in 45 minutes to rescue their dream, provided Bayern could maintain or extend their one-goal lead at Koln.
But a season full of twists and turns did not have quite enough of them left.
Raphael Guerreiro gave the home side hope with just over 20 minutes to go and Dortmund had plenty of chances to complete a stunning comeback.
Then Koln equalised with just nine minutes left to put Terzic’s side back on top by a point.
But the Dortmund fans’ delight was shortlived, as Jumal Musiala bagged an 89th-minute winner for Bayern.
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The perennial champions held on for victory and Nicklas Sule’s stoppage-time equaliser for Dortmund came too late.
So Bayern, led by former Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel, retained their crown – just.
And for the seventh time in that period, Dortmund were the reluctant bridesmaids.
The Signal Iduna Park was electric before kick-off. The home hordes belted out “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, smoke from flares shrouded the pitch and the stage was set for a memorable day in the club’s illustrious history.
So it proved, but for all the wrong reasons.
Sule, Dortmund’s former Bayern defender, had the first good chance, but his volley from a corner was saved comfortably by Mainz goalkeeper Finn Dahmen.
Then came news that Kingsley Coman – who now has 11 major league titles aged 26 – had put Bayern ahead and on top by goal difference.
Things got even worse in the 15th minute when Mainz defender Andreas Hanche-Olsen was allowed to head in a corner at the near post.
And then Haller blew the chance to hit back straight away.
After being asked by VAR to look again at Dominik Kohr’s challenge on Guerreiro, referee Marco Fritz awarded a penalty.
But Haller, taking his first spot-kick for the club, hit it too close to Dahmen, who saved well.
Dortmund were screaming for a second penalty moments later, for another challenge on Guerreiro, only for both VAR and Fritz to say there were was nothing doing.
Unbelievably, Mainz went two-up as Karim Onisiwo headed in Lee Jae-sung’s cross and Dortmund’s world had been turned upside down in less than ten minutes.
You could see the nerves infecting every player in black and yellow and hear the tension and disbelief in the crowd.
The blows just kept coming, as forward Karim Adeyemi went off injured. On came club captain Marco Reus, six times a runner-up with Dortmund, to try to stop it becoming seven.
The home side had been struggling to create openings as Mainz sat deep but then had three sights of goal.
Guerreiro fired over the bar, Julian Brandt had a shot saved when a pass looked the better option, and Dahmen kept out Matt Hummels’ shot from range.
Donyell Malen headed into the side-netting as the half ebbed away.
The only thing that had gone for Dortmund was VAR ruling out a second Bayern goal by Leroy Sane for handball.
Terzic made another change at the break, bringing on teenage forward Youssoufa Moukoko for right-back Marius Wolf.
But it was Mainz who looked more likely to score. With the home side wide open to any counter attack, Lee forced home goalkeeper Gregor Kobel into an unconvincing double save.
Another break ended with Onisiwo hitting the frame of the goal.
Haller should have given his team hope just before the hour, but failed to divert Moukoko’s cross into the net from close range.
Malen shot wide moments later and desperate Dortmund tried to pile on the pressure.
Another teenager, Belgian winger Julien Duranville, came on to good effect and the chances kept on coming.
After Moukoko had fired wide, substitute Gio Reyna exchanged passes twice with Guerreiro, whose shot went in off the post.
Reus then had a great opportunity to make things really interesting, but headed over the bar. Haller and Reyna nodded other chances straight into Dahmen’s clutches.
Kobel saved a free-kick by Aaron Martin and moments later came the news of Koln’s equaliser.
Hummels should have levelled things up for his own team, but somehow headed Reus’ free-kick wide.
Then came the next kick in the teeth as Musiala grabbed the winner in Cologne. Haller had the ball in the net in the fourth of five minutes of stoppage time, but was ruled offside.
Sule scored in the 96th minute but it was too little, too late.
Bellingham will surely lift trophies in the future.
But Dortmund’s long wait for a Bundesliga title – and Germany’s long wait for Bayern to be toppled – goes on.