Next up …
Join Barry Glendenning for live coverage of the FA Cup final, while Alex Hess has MBM updates from Lyon v Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League final. Thanks for joining us this afternoon. We’ll have a full report and reaction from Munich to follow.
Final standings
Champions
1) Bayern
Champions League places
2) Borussia Dortmund
3) RB Leipzig
4) Bayer Leverkusen
Europa League places
5) Borussia Mönchengladbach
6) Wolfsburg
7) Eintracht Frankfurt
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 34 | 56 | 78 |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | 34 | 37 | 76 |
| 3 | RB Leipzig | 34 | 34 | 66 |
| 4 | Bayer Leverkusen | 34 | 17 | 58 |
| 5 | Borussia M'gladbach | 34 | 13 | 55 |
| 6 | Wolfsburg | 34 | 12 | 55 |
| 7 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 34 | 12 | 54 |
| 8 | Werder Bremen | 34 | 9 | 53 |
| 9 | Hoffenheim | 34 | 18 | 51 |
| 10 | Fortuna Dusseldorf | 34 | -16 | 44 |
| 11 | Hertha Berlin | 34 | -8 | 43 |
| 12 | Mainz | 34 | -11 | 43 |
| 13 | Freiburg | 34 | -15 | 36 |
| 14 | Schalke 04 | 34 | -18 | 33 |
| 15 | Augsburg | 34 | -20 | 32 |
| 16 | Stuttgart | 34 | -38 | 28 |
| 17 | Hannover 96 | 34 | -40 | 21 |
| 18 | Nurnberg | 34 | -42 | 19 |
Updated
Final scores
Bayern 5-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Fortuna Dusseldorf 2-1 Hannover
Freiburg 5-1 Nürnberg
Hertha Berlin 1-5 Leverkusen
Mönchengladbach 0-2 Dortmund
Mainz 4-2 Hoffenheim
Schalke 0-0 Stuttgart
Werder Bremen 2-1 Leipzig
Wolfsburg 8-1 Augsburg
There was a late winner for Werder Bremen and it was Claudio Pizarro, crashing home a shot to seal a 2-1 victory over Leipzig.
Oh Hoffenheim!
It’s a 4-2 win for Mainz after two injury-time goals! Jean-Paul Boëtius made it 3-2 with a low shot, before Jean-Philippe Mateta was the beneficiary of abysmal defending moments later. And with that, Hoffenheim are out of the Europa League places. What a costly capitulation.
Updated
Lucas Alario has his hat-trick and Leverkusen are 5-1 up at Hertha.
It’s 8-1 to Wolfsburg against Augsburg! EIGHT [Guardian sport vidiprinter].
The party properly gets under way at the Allianz Arena, where fans are getting to celebrate winning a title on home turf for the first time in 19 years – and the very first time in this stadium.
It's all over, Bayern Munich are Bundesliga champions again
That’s No 7 in a row as they see out a 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Leipzig have scored late to make it 1-1 at Werder Bremen, Nordi Mukiele firing home.
Augsburg got one back against Wolfsburg, but now it’s 7-1, Josip Brekalo getting in on the act.
It should be six for Bayern … well, it should have been six for them much earlier in the game, but this time Kevin Trapp pulls off a miraculous save to deny Robben his second, flicking the ball off his heel and behind.
It’s Mainz 2-2 Hoffenheim, the 10 men unable to hold out. Jean-Paul Boetius curls home a cracker from the edge of the area and this will have European implications if it stays this way.
Updated
Written in the stars 🌟#Robbéry #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/8xNQI0gaFp
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 18, 2019
It’s all too easy for Bayern, finding little resistance from some very dejected Eintracht Frankfurt defenders. Smart work around the area resulted in a low cross beating Trapp and Robben couldn’t miss, tucking gratefully into an empty net from a matter of yards.
Updated
Goal! Bayern Munich 5-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (Robben)
The farewell ‘Robbery’ is complete.
Lucas Alario has got his second and Leverkusen lead 4-1 at Hertha. It’s also now Freiburg 5-1 Nürnberg.
Sublime from Franck Ribéry. He collected the ball on the left and cut in towards the penalty area with purpose. He sliced through two defenders before dinking a delicious finish over Trapp. Just brilliant.
Updated
Goal! Bayern Munich 4-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (Ribéry)
Quite the way to go out. What a brilliant goal.
Updated
The relief around the Allianz Arena is palpable and now the fans can enjoy themselves properly. Their warm mood makes it the perfect time to welcome Arjen Robben for the final time, as he comes off the bench.
Interesting at Mainz. I neglected to mention that Hoffenheim’s Christoph Baumgartner was dismissed for a second yellow shortly before half-time. And the 10 men have just conceded from a penalty, Daniel Brosinski reducing their deficit to 2-1.
Moments of calm after that manic start to the second half. Much like the Premier League final day, there was real hope for one team, extinguished within minutes, this time by goals from Alaba and Sanches for Bayern.
Franck Ribéry is on for Bayern, in what will be his final Bundesliga appearance for the club. He receives a standing ovation.
It’s Wolfsburg 6-0 Augsburg, Elvis Rexhbecaj lashing home No 6. And Dusseldorf have quickly doubled their lead over Hannover.
Goals flowing elsewhere too: Wolfsburg are now 5-0 up on Augsburg, Wout Weghorst completing his hat-trick in there, Dusseldorf lead Hannover 1-0 and Leverkusen are now 3-1 up at Hertha, Julian Brandt curling home an absolute beauty from the edge of the penalty area.
That should surely do it for Bayern now. Sanches found himself near the dead-ball-line, but sat down a defender spectacularly, cutting back on to his right foot and beating Trapp through his near post. Another desperately soft goal for Frankfurt to concede.
RENATO, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! ❤️#MiaSanMia #FCBSGE 3-1 (58') pic.twitter.com/lnnGzrDok5
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 18, 2019
Goal! Bayern Munich 3-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (Sanches)
Renato Sanches!
Updated
A flowing Dortmund counter cut through Mönchengladbach, with Sancho and Christian Pulisic linking up neatly, before the American’s low cross from the right was tucked home by Marco Reus.
Updated
Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-2 Borussia Dortmund (Reus)
It’s 2-0 in Gladbach, but will it matter?
Frankfurt were back up to fifth for two minutes. Alaba played the ball inside to Thomas Müller, who struck a low shot from 25 yards. Trapp got down and made a good save, but he ended up parrying it forwards, where Alaba had continued onwards and he reached the loose ball first to shoot home from close range. It had a certain Die Hard 2 escalator inevitability, did that.
Updated
Goal! Bayern Munich 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (Alaba)
The champions are ahead again.
The substitute, barely four minutes after his arrival on the pitch, equalises for Frankfurt. A corner from the left was swung in: it was deflected off a Bayern boot at the near post and then possibly another, before a shot crashed off the bar and there was Haller, converting from close range. Bayern and Dortmund are now level on points at the top of the table, but it’s still advantage Bayern.
Updated
Goal! Bayern Munich 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (Haller)
Interesting, very interesting.
Updated
Sébastien Haller is on for Jonathan de Guzmán as Frankfurt look to shake things up. They’ve been by far second-best today, but as things stand they’re eighth in the table and would be out of all European competition next season.
Off again around the grounds.
Yikes.
A man in lederhosen behind me has just asked for the Dortmund score. Turned on his heel when I told him. Wait until he sees this...tight. https://t.co/ovuPgxXikM
— Archie Rhind-Tutt (@archiert1) May 18, 2019
Half-time scores
Bayern 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Fortuna Dusseldorf 0-0 Hannover
Freiburg 2-0 Nürnberg
Hertha Berlin 1-2 Leverkusen
Mönchengladbach 0-1 Dortmund
Mainz 0-2 Hoffenheim
Schalke 0-0 Stuttgart
Werder Bremen 1-0 Leipzig
Wolfsburg 3-0 Augsburg
Half-times
The whistle goes in Munich, where Bayern are 1-0 up on Eintracht Frankfurt and 45 minutes from their seventh consecutive title. But that Sancho goal on the stroke of the interval will give Dortmund a tiny snatch of hope and it’s now half-time there too. They still need help, though: lots of it.
Updated
Well, then. Marco Reus was released into clear green space down the left. His cross was blocked but he managed to stand up another just before it rolled out for a corner. The ball took a deflection and there was Jadon Sancho, around 10 yards out, who side-footed a volley into the roof of the net. A really cool finish.
Updated
Goal! Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-1 Borussia Dortmund (Sancho)
Sanchoooooooooooooo.
It’s now Wolfsburg 3-0 Augsburg, skipper for the day Robin Knoche heading home forcefully at a corner.
An enforced change for Bayern, as Goretzka goes off and Renato Sanches comes on.
Hoffenheim are 2-0 up at Mainz. Andrej Kramaric curled a 25-yard free-kick into the bottom right corner, with the keeper rooted on the other side of his goalline.
Updated
Lucas Alario has put Leverkusen back in front at Hertha, it’s now 2-1 after he poked home.
A minor goal flurry elsewhere in the league: Wolfsburg 2-0 Augsburg (Weghorst’s second), Hertha have equalised to make it 1-1 at home to Leverkusen and Freiburg lead Nürnberg 2-0.
Updated
While off describing that Leverkusen goal, there was drama in Munich, where a delayed decision ultimately chalked off that Gnabry strike, with Lewandowski found offside. Still 1-0.
❌❌ ¡ANULADO el GOL de GNABRY! El VAR anuló el tanto por FUERA DE JUEGO previo de Lewandowski. Minuto 30.
— ChiringuitoChampions (@chirichampions) May 18, 2019
Bayern 1 - 0 Eintracht #Bundesliga pic.twitter.com/jwm5DJqpp9
Updated
No Goal Bayern! Bayern Munich 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt (VAR)
VAR strikes.
Updated
Kai Havertz is some player. He’s fired Leverkusen 1-0 up at Hertha. A ball over the top into the inside-right channel saw defenders peel away and give the youngster plenty of space as he approached the 18-yard box. As the keeper dawdled, Havertz drilled an unstoppable shot into the net.
This looks done. A clearance from defence found Lewandowski on the left just inside the Frankfurt half. He took it on his chest, spun swiftly and spread the ball right, where Gnabry was advancing at pace. He turned a defender inside out, as Lewandowski’s run opened space and occupied another defender, before finding half a yard on his left foot and driving low past Trapp from 20 yards.
Updated
Goal! Bayern Munich 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt (Gnabry)
… well, not any more. Serge Gnabry lashes Bayern two goals to the good.
It’s still goalless at Borussia-Park, with Dortmund being held by Gladbach and, as things stand, four points adrift of Bayern, still leading 1-0 at home to Frankfurt …
Updated
Wolfsburg lead Augsburg 1-0! Wout Weghorst, their top scorer, converts, after a cross from the right wasn’t dealt with by keeper Gregor Kobel and he turned home the loose ball from seven yards.
Updated
Here’s that Coman goal, if you haven’t seen it.
The perfect start for Bayern!
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 18, 2019
Kingsley Coman strikes inside four minutes.
The Bavarians must avoid defeat to claim the title. pic.twitter.com/LvzRPmQsNN
While we’re here, yes Hector.
Hoffenheim lead 1-0 at Mainz! Ishak Belfodil collected the ball on the left and cut on to his right foot with the modicum of fuss, before curling a delicious shot into the far top corner. He made that look so easy.
Confidence everywhere among this Bayern team, who have come out hot, and both Serge Gnabry and Lewandowski could already have extended their lead.
It’s tight early on for Dortmund at Gladbach, where news of Bayern’s early goal swiftly filtered through the away fans. Still 0-0 there.
Freiburg are 1-0 up at home to Nürnberg. Marco Terrazzino ambled through some thoroughly dismal defending outside the relegated visitors’ box and he drove a low shot home from around 20 yards.
This was delightfully constructed. After some neat possession play, Robert Lewandowksi neatly laid the ball off for Thomas Müller, who found Kingsley Coman in acres of room on the left side of the penalty box. He drove in a low side-footed shot with his right foot past Trapp and Bayern are 1-0 ahead in just the fourth minute.
Updated
Goal! Bayern Munich 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt (Coman)
That did not take long.
News from Werder Bremen, just before kick-off, that veteran forward Claudio Pizarro has extended his stay with the club for next season. He’ll be 41 in October.
Games on
We have kick-off around Germany.
#Saisonfinale in der #Bundesliga: Drama 👉 100 Prozent! Seid ihr bereit? pic.twitter.com/WzFe96mwX6
— BUNDESLIGA (@Bundesliga_DE) May 13, 2019
Could Luka Jovic have one hand left to play in the Bundesliga race? The Eintracht Frankfurt striker is understood to be on his way to Real Madrid, having banged in 17 goals from 31 games. At his pre-match press conference before Madrid’s game against Betis, Zinedine Zidane offered up the following to interrogators. “Jovic to Real? I’m not going to talk about that.” Either way, Jovic has been brilliant and Nick Ames recently profiled him.
It’s the final Bayern game for Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben and Rafinha today. They’re all on the bench and certain to receive warm receptions, should they come on or not. All three have been getting love from the Allianz Arena crowd beforehand.
🔴 SERVUS & DANKE ⚪@FranckRibery & @ArjenRobben #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/qsFWHhTvnP
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 18, 2019
Updated
The Allianz Arena pitch will have rainbow flags in each corner today. “Together with our fan club Queerpass Bayern, we want to set a clear example of tolerance and diversity, against racism and homophobia,” said Rummenigge. Marcus Janke, CEO of the fan club added: “It stands for tolerance against discrimination of any kind, because the rainbow flag is not just a symbol of the gay movement.”
Here’s Akshay Kul: “I’m looking forward to a birthday present today: someone other than Bayern winning the Bundesliga! Not that I’m that invested, to be quite honest, but it would at least shake up the order a bit and make ignorant people’s claims (‘Bayern always win the title, what a joke of a league’, etc) just that little bit more shaky. And the schadenfreude on the behalf of internet idiots is stronger than anything I’d feel towards Bayern themselves.”
Updated
Interestingly, the noises coming out of certain elements of the media in Germany this week have been around Niko Kovac’s future. One report claimed Bayern would sack the Croatian even if he completed the double by winning the title today and then the German Cup final against Leipzig next weekend. Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge responded in Bild by insisting: “There is no such decision. This message is a total hoax.”
Any predictions? You can drop me a line on james.dart@theguardian.com or tweet @James_Dart.
The Bundesliga table #astheystand …
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 33 | 52 | 75 |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | 33 | 35 | 73 |
| 3 | RB Leipzig | 33 | 35 | 66 |
| 4 | Borussia M'gladbach | 33 | 15 | 55 |
| 5 | Bayer Leverkusen | 33 | 13 | 55 |
| 6 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 33 | 16 | 54 |
| 7 | Wolfsburg | 33 | 5 | 52 |
| 8 | Hoffenheim | 33 | 20 | 51 |
| 9 | Werder Bremen | 33 | 8 | 50 |
| 10 | Hertha Berlin | 33 | -4 | 43 |
| 11 | Fortuna Dusseldorf | 33 | -17 | 41 |
| 12 | Mainz | 33 | -13 | 40 |
| 13 | Freiburg | 33 | -19 | 33 |
| 14 | Augsburg | 33 | -13 | 32 |
| 15 | Schalke 04 | 33 | -18 | 32 |
| 16 | Stuttgart | 33 | -38 | 27 |
| 17 | Hannover 96 | 33 | -39 | 21 |
| 18 | Nurnberg | 33 | -38 | 19 |
Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen could yet seal Europa League places; the former visit Mainz, while Werder host Leipzig. It’s unlikely but not impossible.
T E A M N E W S ❗️
— TSG Hoffenheim EN (@achtzehn99_en) May 18, 2019
Here's how we'll line up against @Mainz05en! Let's Go! #TSG #M05TSG pic.twitter.com/NGDkEbLU4s
Team news 📋@DavyKlaassen and Marco #Friedl return for one final push towards Europe 👊#werder #SVWRBL pic.twitter.com/17FtlROZJx
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) May 18, 2019
Wolfsburg can also, somehow, book a Champions League spot, albeit with a win at home to Augsburg, defeats for Gladbach and Leverkusen, no more than a draw for Frankfurt and then an 11-goal swing should Eintracht get a point. Easy.
Here is our starting XI for the clash with @FCA_World! #WOBFCA #VfLWolfsburg pic.twitter.com/ibQO4b0UEl
— VfL Wolfsburg EN (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) May 18, 2019
Leverkusen can still sneak into the top four and they’re at Hertha Berlin today.
Our final starting XI of the season!
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) May 18, 2019
Let’s get the win, boys! #BSCB04 pic.twitter.com/HTb5ZeImpU
Perfect conditions for a game of football 👌#hahohe #BSCB04 pic.twitter.com/90TNUt9bJm
— Hertha Berlin (@HerthaBSC_EN) May 18, 2019
Borussia Mönchengladbach v Dortmund teams
Borussia Mönchengladbach: Sommer, Kramer, Zakaria, Hazard, Beyer, Traoré, Wendt, Drmic, Hofmann, Ginter, Elvedi.
Subs: Sippel, Lang, Strobl, Herrmann, Plea, Jantschke, Cuisance.
Borussia Dortmund: Bürki, Piszczek, Akanji, Weigl, Guerreiro, Witsel, Delaney, Sancho, Reus, Pulisic, Götze.
Subs: Hitz, Zagadou, Alcacer, Dahoud, Schmelzer, Bruun Larsen, Topra.
Bayern v Eintracht Frankfurt teams
Bayern Munich: Ulreich, Süle, Hummels, Thiago, Lewandowski, Goretzka, Gnabry, Müller, Alaba, Coman, Kimmich.
Subs: Hoffmann, Ribéry, Robben, Rafinha, Boateng, Davies, Sanches.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Trapp, Rebic, Fernandes, De Guzman, Jovic, Kostic, Gacinovic, Hinteregger, Abraham, Hasebe, Da Costa.
Subs: Rönnow, Falette, Haller, Torró, Toure, Chandler, Paciencia.
Updated
Präambel
Here we go, then, another final-day decider in one of Europe’s leading leagues. It might not have been expected at the start of the season, when Bayern Munich were expected to sweep all before them en route to a seventh consecutive Bundesliga title, even if a new man was at the helm. But here Niko Kovac is, 90 minutes from securing his first league crown as a manager, knowing a point against Eintracht Frankfurt in Munich today will guarantee them the title. Eintracht Frankfurt, from whom he took flight for the German champions last year.
It would be a 29th German championship (a 28th in the Bundesliga era) for Bayern, but only their first to celebrate at the Allianz Arena. Since its opening in 2005, Bayern have won nine titles, but only secured title glory away from home in eight of them (and the ‘sofa title’ of 2015 when results elsewhere gave them the crown). In fact, it’s now somewhat incredible 19 years (and 13 titles) since Bayern wrapped things up on their home turf. A big day beckons in the south.
But if the title fight is going to a final day, then there is another team we can’t forget about. And that’s Borussia Dortmund, the early-season swashbuckling freewheelers who surged into a nine-point lead at one stage, only to tighten up through the second half of the season, enabling the Bavarian juggernaut to eventually haul them in, smash them 5-0 and eventually go clear. At times their football has been a joy. At times, less so. They find themselves two points behind and on their way to Borussia Mönchengladbach, knowing only a win will do to at least make Bayern earn this title on the final day.
Ah yes, final days in the Bundesliga. Final days in the Bundesliga involving Bayern Munich. Memories of 2001 (sorry, Schalke fans). So what we’re saying is that there should be hope for Dortmund, even if it’s likely to be in short supply.
There’s plenty more at stake, mind. Champions League places – paging Frankfurt and Gladbach – and Europa League spots are up for grabs, with teams all the way down to ninth still having European football to play for. This thorough primer from the Bundesliga has you covered.
Kick-offs are at 2.30pm BST, 3.30pm local time. We’ll have updates from all the afternoon’s games as they happen.
