How Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga
With a 2-1 win over Bavarian rivals Ingolstadt, Bayern Munich claimed their fourth consecutive league championship. Here's our look back at the occasionally rocky road to Bayern's 26th Bundesliga title.
Bayern begin with a bang
Bayern Munich's 5-0 thrashing of Hamburg on the opening weekend was a sign of things to come. Pep Guardiola's side steamrolled their Northern German opponents, with Medhi Benatia scoring the first Bundesliga goal of the season. Thomas Müller bagged a double, while Robert Lewandowski and Diego Costa grabbed one apiece.
The Lewandowski Show
September 22 will go down in the history books. Robert Lewandowski, brought on at the half, scored five times in nine minutes to set four Bundesliga records. It was the most goals for a substitute, the fastest hat-trick, the swiftest four goals and the quickest five. Both the striker himself and his coach were dumbfounded.
Dortmund destroyed
Bayern's home match against Dortmund on October 4 was billed "Der Klassiker," and few could have expected Bayern to sweep the resuregent challengers aside so convincingly. Müller scored another brace, as did Lewandowski. Mario Götze turned in a fine display, scoring the fifth to make a statement about who was boss.
Robben returns, Bayern hit 1,000
Only two weeks later, Guardiola's already star-studded team was bolstered by a convalescent. Arjen Robben returned after two months on the sidelines to fire Bayern to their 1,000th Bundesliga victory - the first club in the league to do so. Cologne were the victims, going down 4-0 as Bayern targeted more records.
Frankfurt halt Bayern procession
But the record for unbeaten games to start a season evaded Bayern against a stuffy Frankfurt side who held out for a 0-0 draw. Victory for Guardiola's men would have equalled the mark set by Tottenham in 1960-61. That setback wouldn't derail Bayern's season, but it was a harbinger that the Bavarians were mortal after all.
Gladbach hand Bayern first loss
Bayern were bidding to become the first Bundesliga team to go an entire season unbeaten, but that came to a crashing halt on December 5. For the first time in 99 matches, Guardiola failed to change his line-up from the previous match. But consistency wasn't the trick. Bayern lost 3-1 to Mönchengladbach at Borussia Park.
And then came Mainz
The only other team to beat Bayern in their title run was Mainz, who walked away from the Allianz Arena with a 2-1 upset win on March 2. Martin Schmidt's side were pegged back by Arjen Robben, but Mainz gambled and got their just rewards. Jhon Cordoba scored late on and Bayern were left facing the second "Klassiker" under pressure.
Bayern hold firm
Bayern had blown out a number of opponents, but arguably their key result of the 2015-16 season was a nervy goalless draw away to Dortmund. The pretenders to the throne could have mounted a challenge with a win, so Guardiola's men were more than content to split the spoils. The result preserved the Bavarians' five-point lead at the top of the table.
Bayern squander first match point
Andre Hahn spoiled a potential championship party on Matchday 32, equalizing to leave Bayern fans at loose ends. Müller scored after six minutes, but the Bavarians fell into their comfort zone with a Champions League semifinal against Atletico Madrid waiting in midweek. Mönchengladbach was the only team Bayern failed to beat this season.
Bayern cross the finish line
Four titles in a row. It's an achievement no other club has managed in Bundesliga history. The clinching match was a far-from-spectacular 2-1 win in Ingolstadt, but a Lewandowski brace powered Guardiola to his third straight German championship. It's the 26th time Bayern have been the best in the land.