Bundesliga Bulletin: Bayern win the title, Union stay up
June 17, 2020
Good midweek for: Bayern, Bielefeld, Red Berlin, Mainz,
Bad midweek for: Blue Berlin, Paderborn, Schalke, Bremen, the two teams chasing Bayern
The headlines:
-- Bayern win it all, again
Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga for the eighth straight season thanks to a 1-0 win atWerder Bremen. This season has been a good one in terms of a contest at the top, but with Flick and co. hitting remarkable form of late, it seems Bayern Munich are set for another golden age.
-- Sloppy finish from challengers
With the title race over and Champions League football for next season confirmed, the two teams supposedly best placed to challenge Bayern Munich slumped to disappointing results.
Borussia Dortmund ran out of gas against a Mainz team that found top gear and took advantage with an impressive and deserved performance that saw them run out 2-0 winners. RB Leipzig appeared to be in control after Kevin Kampl and Timo Werner scored quickly in the second half, but with time running out Fortuna Düsseldorf battled back to score two late goals, including a stoppage-time equalizer to shock their hosts.
It was a midweek to forget for the two sides below Bayern Munich in the table. On Saturday, they face each other.
-- European race gets tight
Despite the absence of Marcus Thuram (injured) and Alassane Plea (suspended), Gladbach delivered a slick attacking performance to put their poorly-timed dip in form behind them and down Wolfsburg. Jonas Hofmann's brace and brilliant performances from Breel Embolo and Ibrahima Traore sealed a 3-0 win, but it might not be enough. Leverkusen got the better of Cologne the following night - thanks to Kai Havertz and Moussa Diaby - which puts them one point clear in fourth with two games to go.
The Europa League race stayed wide open after Wolfsburg's loss. Two goals in three second half minutes from Moanes Dabour gave coach-less Hoffenheim the win against Augsburg, and put them into seventh, the last qualifying spot.
Freiburg are just one point behind in eighth after a 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin, while Frankfurt beat Schalke by the same score to keep alive their very slim hopes of sneaking into seventh.
-- Down, up and sticking around
Away from the top of the table there was plenty of activity. Union Berlin's one-goal win against Paderborn secured the Berlin side Bundesliga football for next season, and also confirmed relegation for Paderborn. Mainz's win and Fortuna's draw gives both sides a huge boost with two games to go, but it does make life all that bit harder for Werder Bremen.
On the same day, Arminia Bielefeld confirmed their return to Germany's top flight after Hamburg's draw with Osnabrück meant first-placed Bielefeld could no longer be caught. After 11 years away, Arminia will return to the Bundesliga and Uwe Neuhaus, the man who was assistant coach to Matthias Sammer when Borussia Dortmund won the German title in 2002, will be a Bundesliga head coach for the first time.
The stats:
- Only one team in another European top league has also won the league 8 times in a row: Juventus.
- Lewandowski scored 31 goals in a Bundesliga season for the first time in his career. He also became the first player to do so since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 2016-17 season.
- Bayern Munich have now won 11 straight games in the Bundesliga.
- The 8 points Mainz have won since the restart have all come away from home.
- This is Dortmund's second best second half of the season ever. Their best was when they won the Bundesliga in the 2011/12 season.
- Alphonso Davies hit a top speed of 36.51km/h vs. Werder Bremen. That's really fast.
- Schalke have now gone 14 games without a win. That's five months and a new negative club record. Ouch.
The quotes:
"Typical Manu."
Robert Lewandowski on Manuel Neuer's save at the end of game against Werder Bremen
"I think we dipped a bit and our competitors might have missed their chance at that point, but Hansi Flick deserves a lot of credit for getting the ship back on course so quickly."
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Bayern winning another title
"You never have success alone; you only have success together. It's a lot of fun to be involved. We have a great combination in our team."
Hansi Flick on winning the Bundesliga title
"To come back from 2-0 down in Leipzig shows the mentality of this team."
Steven Skrzybski on Fortuna Düsseldorf winning a point
"We invested too little today... I didn't have the feeling this week that such a performance drop would come."
Sebastian Kehl on Dortmund's loss in Mainz
"No, there is nothing to regret. We said it would be an adventure for us."
Paderborn head coach Steffen Baumgart
"It's been a great season. The team is one that holds together."
Union Berlin head coach Urs Fischer after sealing Bundesliga football for another year
"Nils Peterson is not a super sub. He is an exceptional person and an exceptional player. The special thing about him is that he does everything for the team and understands how a head coach thinks - even when it hurts."
Christian Streich on the Freiburg striker