Devastation in Dortmund as Bundesliga title hopes are dashed following a late Bayern performance.
Germany's DORTMUND -- Thousands of the T-shirts commemorating Borussia Dortmund's 2022–23 Bundesliga victory had already been printed, and some were being worn by supporters even before Saturday's match against Mainz got underway. The city had methodically organised the title celebrations for Sunday as it anticipated 500,000 visitors. The scenario was set up for Dortmund to end Bayern Munich's 10-year grasp on the Bundesliga title with a two-point lead over their rivals and the requirement to win or match their performance against Cologne on the last day. But the last page was absent.
The Westfalenstadion might have been filled five times over by Dortmund. It wouldn't matter what Bayern accomplished as long as they defeated Mainz. The fairy tale was nearly complete. But instead of closing the book with a black-and-yellow flourish, they were down 2-0 after only 24 minutes. In Cologne, hope was restored with an equaliser, but it was dashed by Bayern's Jamal Musiala's 89th-minute winner.
It was a shocking, harsh turn. Dortmund's chances of winning the title vanished as Musiala's magnificent effort sailed into the lower corner of the Cologne goal. Gio Reyna's substitution off the bench gave them a little boost, but their late comeback to salvage a 2-2 draw was in vain. The 81,365 spectators at the Westfalenstadion were then drawn back into the inescapable black hole of German football, as Bayern once again win the Bundesliga title, making it their 11th straight victory.
This was not intended to happen. With a two-point advantage and fantastic home support, Dortmund was unquestionably going to win. They had been making preparations all week.
They had nearly 500,000 requests for tickets, five times as many media requests as there was room for, and celebrations were planned—even without the assurance of the headlining performance.
On Saturday morning, the crowd of Dortmund supporters flooding into the stadium were in a festive mood. Six hours prior to kickoff, the venue was jam-packed and the concourses were full. Songs were sung, tales of the past were spoken, and football demons were ready for exorcism. The last time Dortmund won the championship was during Jurgen Klopp's tenure in 2011–12, so you have to savour your moment in the spotlight when it comes.
Dortmund has saw superstars come and go as they were scooped up by bigger fish, frequently Bayern. The majority of the other Bundesliga teams came together at this point to support the end of their collective wait for a new name to appear on the shield, but this was to be a line in the sand. But instead of joyous scenes from this game being replayed, there will be heartbreaking ones. Golden confetti that covered the field before the game began will be replaced by the sombre sounds of Mainz's two goals in the first half, which gave them an unexpected 2-0 lead after some awful defending.
There will be instances of terrible coincidence, such as Sebastien Haller's missed penalty in the first half when his team was down 1-0, and the time in the 58th minute when he failed to get a toe on the ball as it slid past an open goal. Soon after, Marco Reus attempted a header from six yards out, but it somehow soared beyond the crossbar. In the 69th and 96th minutes, they scored two goals that were both too little, too late. But it's also difficult to explain how the repeated incursions on Mainz's penalty area (29 shots overall, 10 on goal) didn't result in goals that sealed the championship.
Even though Dortmund was defeated 2-1 in the 80th minute, the celebrations continued as soon as the crowd learned of Cologne's equaliser. The last day was so unpredictable. A tie meant that for Bayern, the result in Dortmund was not important because the trophy had already been returned to North Rhine-Westphalia.
Cheers were replaced by the sound of tables being slammed and chairs being slammed when Musiala scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute, causing them to lose the championship yet again. Supporters were craning their necks to see what was happening in Cologne as Dortmund continued to hurl all they had at Mainz while forming a 2-0-8 formation with Emre Can in every position. They broke plastic cups, squeezed cigarettes more tightly, and gripped the backs of their heads. Some people felt overpowered and sunk into their chairs, hoping for one or two more goals to end the game.
On the pitch, substitute Julien Duranville gave it everything he had to offer. The Yellow Wall attempted to will the ball in while Anthony Modeste, Youssoufa Moukoko, and Haller played on the offside line while Reyna poked and prodded. A celebration was destroyed by the red-and-blue-clad German football gods.
Terzic later remarked, "It's difficult to find the right words." "We feel hollow since we knew about the opportunity; the city and stadium were buzzing with energy. We all coveted it so intensely. We knew we were only 90 minutes away from winning the championship since only one goal remained, and it was in the other stadium. This is the game that we both loved as children. It might be challenging to miss a penalty, let up two goals right away, and all of a sudden feel so overwhelmed. However, despite our best efforts, it was sadly insufficient.
This will hurt Dortmund for months to come. However, there are a lot of causes for optimism. It was a season of inspiring individuals, like Haller, who made his debut in January following chemotherapy for testicular cancer. Jude Bellingham, a 19-year-old midfielder who missed the match against Mainz due to injury, had the league on a string for nine months. It was during this campaign that Terzic, a longtime supporter, rallied the Yellow Wall behind a squad made up of talented young players and veteran players like Mats Hummels and Marco Reus.
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