Bayern Win 20th German League Title in Kaiserslautern Draw
May 6, 2006
Taking one point in the 1-1 draw against Kaiserslautern was enough to put Bayern Munich beyond Hamburg SV's grasp and award them their 20th German title on Saturday. Hamburg lost 4-2 against Hertha Berlin and will end the season having to fight for second place.
Germany's second Champions League berth will be decided next week when Hamburg meet third place Werder Bremen, who hammered Cologne 6-0. The loss locked Cologne into one of the Bundesliga's three relegation spots.
But the victory against Cologne guaranteed Bremen third place as Schalke 04, their closest rival, fell 1-0 in Mainz.
Felix Magath's Munich side trailed 16th-placed Kaiserslautern going into the half-time break, but managed to answer with an equalizer from Andreas Ottl in the 68th minute to ensure they could begin celebrations at the final whistle.
It was Bayern's sixth league title in eight seasons and added to their recent 1-0 cup final triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The draw against the Bavarian giants was also good news for Kaiserslautern, who still have a chance at staying in the first division if they win next week's relegation duel against Wolfsburg, who lost 1-2 to Stuttgart after taking an early lead.
Hamburg got off to a solid start in their match in the German capital with a 2-1 lead going into the break, but Hertha equalized and, after having Andreas Neuendorf sent off in the 59th minute, broke through the Hamburg defense twice with goals from Nico Kovac and Marko Pantelic.
Sighs of relief in Mainz, Frankfurt, Hanover
The 33th week of Bundesliga matches brought final relief for Mainz 05, Eintracht Frankfurt and Hanover 96.
Frankfurt shared points with Borussia Dortmund in a 1-1 draw, while a 2-2 tie against Borussia Mönchengladbach ensured Hanover's spot in the first division next season.
Bayer Leverkusen's seven-game winning streak ended in a 2-2 draw at home against Nuremberg. Fifth-placed Leverkusen will have to wait until next week to make their European dream come true. Nuremberg, on the other hand, will have to be satisfied with a spot in the table's middle, regardless of how they finish the season next Saturday.
Arminia Bielefeld is another team that will have to make do with mediocrity after a losing 2-0 at home to MSV Duisburg. The victory was little more than a soon-to-be-forgotten line in history books, as relegation was a sure thing Duisburg before the match got underway.