LAST UPDATE | 23 Apr 2022
BAYERN MUNICH WERE crowned Bundesliga champions for the 10th consecutive season after a 3-1 home win over second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
First-half goals by Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski put Bayern in control at a sold-out Allianz Arena before Emre Can converted a penalty after the break for Dortmund.
But teenager Jamal Musiala fired in a late goal to spark early celebrations in the home crowd.
This is the first time a club has won 10 straight titles in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
The Bavarian giants’ eighth successive win over Dortmund leaves Bayern an unassailable 12 points clear with three games left.
🏆 @Manuel_Neuer already can't wait 😂#MISS10N #MiaSanMeister pic.twitter.com/ccmnmcUCsh
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) April 23, 2022
Bayern dominated the opening half and Gnabry fired a magnificent volley into the top corner from the edge of the box to give them a 15th-minute lead.
Gnabry had a second effort disallowed before Lewandowski doubled the advantage 11 minutes before half-time.
It was the Poland striker’s 27th goal in 26 matches against Dortmund, who he left for Bayern in 2014.
Dortmund responded early in the second half as Can converted a penalty after Marco Reus was brought down in the area.
The visitors had their appeals for another spot-kick waved away with 30 minutes left when Lucas Hernandez brought Jude Bellingham down in the area.
Lewandowski won the battle of the Bundesliga’s star strikers as Erling Haaland, who has been linked with big-money move to Manchester City, failed to score despite forcing Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into two late saves.
Musiala put the result beyond doubt when he slotted home seconds after his initial shot was saved by Dortmund keeper Marwin Hitz.
- ‘Something will happen soon’ -
Lewandowski left his future at Bayern Munich open afterwards when he said, “Something will happen soon” after scoring his 33rd league goal this season.
Barcelona reportedly want to sign the 33-year-old, who is out of contract next year and was cagey about his Bayern future.
“Something will happen soon. The only thing I know is that there will be a meeting (with Bayern)”, Lewandowski told Sky.
Lewandowski has won back-to-back Fifa best male player awards for the last two years and lifted every available title with Bayern.
He has scored 342 goals in 372 games since he joined on a free transfer from Dortmund in 2014.
Bayern bosses have made it clear they want to keep him, but club CEO Oliver Kahn admitted last Sunday that the Poland star is “considering his future”.
Lewandowski added that “nothing special” has happened yet, with his agent in talks with Bayern, and he will “see” how things develop.
“It is not easy for me,” he admitted.
Bayern captain Manuel Neuer and Thomas Mueller are also out of contract in 2023, but both players said they plan to extend their contracts.
“We’ll see what happens, but the feeling today is that it’s hard to leave,” said Mueller.
Neuer said he feels “well” at Bayern. “We have the team with the potential to play for the Champions League title.”
- Late Union goals stun Leipzig -
Earlier, Union Berlin scored two late goals to poach a 2-1 win at RB Leipzig, which kept alive their Champions League qualification hopes.
Bayer Leverkusen thumped bottom club Greuther Fuerth 4-1 to take third place from Leipzig and move three points clear of fifth-placed Freiburg in the race for the top four.
Freiburg missed the chance to draw level on points with Leipzig, conceding a late equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach.
🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) April 23, 2022
The first player to ever win 11 Bundesliga titles - our very own @esmuellert_ 🥰#MISS10N #MiaSanMeister pic.twitter.com/k8i1DM9tsU
Union are just two points further back in sixth, with five clubs, including seventh-placed Cologne, separated by just six points with three games remaining in the battle to reach next season’s Champions League group stage.
Yussuf Poulsen put Leipzig ahead early in the second half to put the hosts on course for their second win in four days over Union, who they beat 2-1 in the German Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
However, Union avenged the cup defeat as substitutes Sven Michel and then Kevin Behrens scored in the 86th and 88th minutes.
The defeat ended Leipzig’s unbeaten run of 15 games in all competitions, ahead of their Europa League semi-final, first leg at home to Rangers on Thursday.
Union are bidding to reach the Champions League for the first time in just their third season since being promoted to the Bundesliga.
Freiburg, also hoping for a maiden appearance in Europe’s premier competition, looked set to pile the pressure on Leipzig as they fought back from 2-0 down at half-time to lead Gladbach.
But Lars Stindl struck for the away side in the third minute of injury time.
Fuerth were finally relegated after their loss to Leverkusen, having been last in the table since September.
Eintracht Frankfurt, who visit West Ham on Thursday in their Europa League semi-final first leg, conceded a late equaliser to draw 2-2 at home to Hoffenheim.
