It was the last two and a half years in a nutshell; deliciously inventive, daringly late and, quite frankly, a bit too good forBorussia Dortmund. As stoppage time ticked on Florian Wirtz received the ball on the left, seemingly without an angle for a cross; so he dug out a spinning ball with the outside of his foot, spearing it to the back post. The substitute Jonas Hofmann snuck around the back of the defence to bullet a diving header into the far corner as we went into the second minute of added time, another goal at the last for Bayer Leverkusen. Yet there was just a muted cheer and as the familiar chords of ATC’s All Around The World greeted the strike from the sound system, they were met by considerable echo.
This time, it was already over. Xabi Alonso’s side had lost a Bundesliga game for only the third time this season but the moment had long since passed, for coach and for team. With theconcession of their titleto Bayern Munich last weekend came this week’s confirmation from Alonso that “these last two games are going to be my last two games as Bayer Leverkusen coach”. It was, in many ways, a relief, giving clarity and a chance to truly celebrate everything that Alonso’s spell in charge has meant for club and coach.
It began before kick-off in Sunday afternoon’s game, with Alonso presented with a commemorative shirt and a street sign of Xabi Alonso Allee, the thoroughfare in front of the BayArena unofficially renamed after him on the day of the title win 13 months ago. As he received the plaudits from the stands it was notable to see the travelling Dortmund fans join in. Having helped to break Bayern’s hegemony he is seen as someone who did a lot for German football, not just for Leverkusen.
Even if it was “not the result we wanted” in the words of Jeremie Frimpong, this was not an unworthy tribute to Alonso and everything he and his group has achieved since his October 2022 arrival. The first half underlined everything that his team have been about; invention, intensity and just all-round excellence. Frimpong’s opener, as he stepped inside to smash high into the net with his left foot, was a signpost to how he has thrived under Alonso, going from dashing wing-back to a player who is also a poised, effective part of the attack.
The goal was also scant reward for Leverkusen’s total domination of a team who arrived having dropped just two points in the last six games (and those had been in a draw at Bayern), and were saved time and again by the outstanding Gregor Kobel in goal to improbably lead at the break. “We had a lot of luck in the first half and a lot of Gregor Kobel,” smiled Julian Brandt, who scored the equaliser, admitting that his team had taken the points by adding “killer instinct” to those first two qualities. The win was wrapped up with a minimum of fuss in the second half, with Karim Adeyemi and Serhou Guirassy scoring to make it 4-1 before Hofmann’s minor footnote.
Dortmund, then, breathe again, going into the final day with a clear chance of returning to the Champions League, a minor miracle after a largely torrid season. Yet perhaps their biggest takeaway from their trip to BayArena was that to build a winning environment, a true culture, as Alonso has, is another level entirely. Something to aim for and, for Leverkusen, memories to be treasured.
It’s party time for Bayern and they celebrated properly in their final home game with Borussia Mönchengladbach, a 2-0 win which featured the returning Manuel Neuer repelling a number of attacks in exhilarating fashion. Then, after Harry Kane had returned from a ban to open the scoring and Michael Olise had got himself a goal, it was on to a guard of honour as Thomas Müller left the Allianz Arena field for the final time, followed by beer showers all round and a Sunday morning flight to Ibiza for most of the squad to celebrate at Pacha (despite Max Eberl having put a block on the trip to the island after last weekend’s late equaliser for Leipzig).
There’s still work to be done in the Champions League race, with Dortmund now knowing that (remarkably) they will make the top four if they beat relegated Holstein Kiel at Signal Iduna Park by at least a two-goal margin – because the current third and fourth-placed teams, Eintracht Frankfurt and Freiburg, face each other on the final day. Freiburg came from behind at Kiel on Saturday, with the in-form Lucas Höler’s header sending the hosts down, while Eintracht were held at home by St Pauli on Sunday despite taking the lead via Rasmus Kristensen after 22 seconds, thus blowing a second straight chance to mathematically secure a Champions League spot. They need a point in Freiburg to be sure. “Of course, we imagined it differently,” said Kevin Trapp, “but I can’t remember a last matchday at Eintracht where everything was already decided. That’s how it is. But I’m convinced we can do it.”
Meanwhile Leipzig’s goalless draw at Werder Bremen means they can no longer reach the top four, which put the cap on a deeply disappointing season and which will have consequences. “You have to be honest and say we didn’t deserve it,” admitted sporting director, Marcel Schäfer, who promised a “bigger than expected” overhaul of his expensively assembled squad. In addition to the missed revenue the loss of status may affect their head coach search, as Leipzig are a less attractive proposition without the Champions League – though there is now the potential aim of a home European final in 2026 as the Red Bull Arena will host next year’s Conference League final, though qualifying for that will also require help from Leverkusen against Mainz on the final day.
Relegation was confirmed for Holstein Kiel and Bochum, though Dieter Hecking will stay in charge of the latter. St Pauli celebrated wildly in Frankfurt, having got the point that means only a mathematical miracle would send them into the relegation playoff spot currently occupied by Heidenheim, who won 3-0 at Union Berlin. Frank Schmidt’s side could escape completely if they win heavily against Werder on the final day and Hoffenheim take a thrashing from Bayern.
St Pauli, who this week edged to the verge of their €30m fundraising target from their fan stadium purchase cooperative, also have a top-flight derby with Hamburg to look forward to after HSV secured aBundesligareturn this weekend, after seven years away. Despite a nervy start in which they conceded the opening goal HSV ran out 6-1 winners over Ulm, and a win at Greuther Fürth next weekend would guarantee the title ahead of second-placed Köln, who need a point to guarantee promotion. It is a personal triumph for 34-year-old coach Merlin Polzin, who grew up a season ticket holder. “I held my brother in my arms,” Polzin said of the post-match celebrations. “He had tears in his eyes. This means everything to me.”