Borussia Dortmund were left heartbroken at the Westfalenstadion as despite a 2-2 draw against Mainz on the final Bundesliga matchday of the season, the title headed to Bayern Munich once again, with the Bavarians sealing it on goal difference.
Before a ball was kicked, Dortmund knew that a win or simply matching Bayern’s result at FC Koln would be enough to seal their first Meisterschale crown since 2012.
The party atmosphere inside the stadium was dealt a blow after just 15 minutes on the clock, as an unmarked Andreas Hanche-Olsen sent a near-post header past Gregor Kobel from a Mainz corner to give the away side the lead.
Just a minute later, Dortmund were handed a golden opportunity to level the match. Raphael Guerreiro was tripped by Dominik Kohr inside the area, and after a VAR check BVB were awarded the spot-kick.
Sebastien Haller stepped up to take his first penalty of the campaign for Die Schwartzgelben, but the forward’s effort lacked power and was tipped away by Mainz stand-in goalkeeper Finn Dahmen.
Things then went from bad to worse for the home side, as Mainz doubled their lead with just their second effort on target in the 23rd minute. Jae-Sung Lee’s cross from the left-hand side was headed in by Karim Onisiwo and it left BVB with it all to do in the second half.
With 20 minutes to play, BVB sparked a comeback as Guerreiro slotted home with a low strike which went in off the post to give the home side hope.
Then, with ten minutes remaining, news filtered through around Signal Iduna Park that Koln had equalised from the penalty spot against Bayern. It meant that it all swung back in BVB’s favour, and they would win the title on goal difference if all remained the same.
However, there was late heartbreak for Die Schwartzgelben as Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute goal proved to be the winner for Bayern at Koln. It meant Dortmund needed to find two goals in injury time, and they found one of them courtesy of Niklas Sule. It proved not to be enough.
As a result, Dortmund missed their chance to seal their first title in 11 years.This is certainly not how the Dortmund fans thought their big day in the sun would pan out. There was understandable joy and excitement from the early hours of the morning as the title was in the team's hands. With a drought of over 11 years, BVB supporters knew they had a huge chance. The palpable build-up to the game has proved to be all in vain.
Mainz knew what they needed to do to spoil the party, and pinned their hopes on sitting back and hitting the home side on the counter. The plan worked as they scored twice from clinical breakaways. For Dortmund, things were just not able to go their way despite clawing back the deficit.
There was a momentary cause for celebration when news had reached the stadium that Koln had equalised against Bayern in the other match, but it was not long-lasting. The faces of the players once the final whistle was blown told its own story, and it will be difficult for Edin Terzic to pick up his players after this devastating finale to the campaign. One thing for sure is Die Schwartzgelben will be back next season.
The Mainz stand-in goalkeeper proved to be the key reason why Dortmund were unable to take all three points. The 25-year-old produced a heroic performance for his Mainz side, and saved the all-important penalty from Haller in the 18th minute.
Dahmen was commanding in his box, making six important claims. He also showcased his ability as a shot stopper, as he made eight key saves to keep BVB's attacking threat out.
There were many standout performers for Bo Svensson's side on the day, but Dahmen is well deserving of the player of the match accolade.
15’ - GOAL! (Andreas Hanche-Olsen) - Wow! Mainz take the lead! That was certainly not in the script. A corner is swung in from the left, and an unmarked Olsen makes a late run into space at the near post and sends a diving header beyond Kobel!
16’ - PENALTY TO DORTMUND - Dortmund have a spot-kick! The referee is told by VAR to view the monitor as Kohr clips Guerreiro from behind inside the area. He points to the spot and the home fans erupt! Big chance here for BVB.
18’ - PENALTY MISSED! - Haller is denied! It is a poor penalty and Dahmen dives to his left to make the save to deny him! A huge moment in this match. It is not going the home side's way at the moment.
24’ - GOAL! (Karim Onisiwo) - Onisiwo latches onto a cross by Lee from the left and he has a free header! He easily nods it home beyond Kobel! This is extraordinary. Dortmund really have it all to do now if they want to seal this league title.
69' - GOAL! (Raphael Guerreiro) - BVB have finally got their teeth into this game! Guerreiro plays a neat one-two with Reyna at the edge of the area, before placing a right-footed shot through a crowd of bodies and into the back of the net, via the help of the post! Game on!
90+5' - GOAL! (Niklas Sule) - Dortmund find a late goal but will it be enough with the additional time almost over?
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Borussia Dortmund were left heartbroken at the Westfalenstadion as despite a 2-2 draw against Mainz on the final Bundesliga matchday of the season, the title headed to Bayern Munich once again, with the Bavarians sealing it on goal difference.
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