Borussia Dortmund toss title to Bayern Munich

The newly crowned German champions were due to start their parade at 12.09am sharp on Sunday. They would end Bayern Munich’s decade of dominance, then carve their names into Dortmund’s ceremonial guestbook, then roll through the yellow-lined streets in an open-top bus. They would take a lap and a half around Borsigplatz, the birthplace of Borussia Dortmund. They meandered southwest and through downtown, greeting hundreds of thousands of fans as they passed.

Or at least that’s how city and football club Dortmund planned to celebrate their impending 2022-23 Bundesliga title.

Instead, Borussia Dortmund missed it on Saturday – and Bayern won it again.

All Dortmund needed was a win over Mainz, a nondescript team that had lost four games in a row and had nothing to play for. Instead, in front of an expectant and heartbreaking crowd of 81,365, with thousands more preparing to explode in away celebration, Dortmund conceded an early goal, then missed a penalty, then conceded again.

With Bayern’s victory in Cologne, Dortmund launched forwards in search of the three goals they would need to turn around an unsavory scenario. Instead, Dortmund’s greatest hope came from Cologne, who equalized against Bayern and revived Signal Iduna Park. As it stands, for eight fleeting minutes, the title would be Dortmund’s.

But in the 89th minute in Cologne, with Dortmund still losing 2-1, Jamal Musiala scored to give Bayern an 11th consecutive title.

Dortmund found a late equaliser, but needed a winner and never got it. Players feel their needs. Some 80,000 fans fell silent. And the streak will extend into a second decade.

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