As the last matchday of the Bundesliga season approached, many were thrilled by the prospect of Borussia Dortmund winning the title. Despite that not happening, their fans had their reasons to celebrate.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Hitij
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Borussia Dortmund's season was one of ups and downs. The side that finished the first half of the season with one of the club's highest ever points totals was also the one whose progress seemed to have slowed after the season restarted. The result was the title staying in Munich for a seventh season in a row.
When it comes to the club's fans though, it wasn't all doom and gloom. Far from it.
Adam is a Borussia Dortmund fan who spent most of this season watching BVB live, in the stadium. While he expected Dortmund to get the result they needed, he hardly sounded optimistic about his club's chances of winning the title.
"It's not very likely, but we're Borussia Dortmund," he said in a car full of Dortmund fans while driving towards the city of Mönchengladbach. Some live in Germany, some came all the way from as far as Israel.
'Here to thank the team'
When it comes to Borussia Dortmund's 2018-19 season, the mood seemed to be rather reflective.
"We didn't expect to win the league this season, and we're here to show the team that we support them after a very good season," Adam said.
Jadon Sancho scores the opener for Dortmund, who lost out on the Bundesliga title by two pointsImage: Reuters/T. Schmuelgen
As the buses carrying the away fans arrived at Mönchengladbach's Borussia Park, spirits seemed high. "Only Borussia Dortmund will be German champions," many of the fans sang. If they did feel like Adam, they weren't showing it. When the Borussia Dortmund players first took to the pitch, it was clear to them that their fans believed.
Reflection of BVB's season
The game started with the ball going from side to side. As Gladbach's Ibrahima Traore's shot looked as if it had been going in after 12 minutes, the ground has turned silent for a second. The ball hit the post, to a loud sigh of relief from the away end.
Gladbach kept on looking like the better team on the pitch, with Borussia Dortmund handing over possession to their rivals through some rather simple passes that quickly turned into lost balls. It felt like the Borussia Dortmund of the second half of the season: Tired, lacking confidence, vulnerable. Similarly to many other Dortmund games from the first half of the season, it was a moment of brilliance from Jadon Sancho that put the away side on the front foot.
The second half, funnily enough, started with a Borussia Dortmund that looked like the BVB side from that fantastic first half of the season. The Dortmund players were brimming with confidence, their passing looked impressive, and Marco Reus' finish reminded the away fans what they were missing in the last two games, in which the Dortmund captain was suspended. Just like the good, old times, just like in November.
Optimism in the stands
Ofer, a Borussia Dortmund fan from Israel said that while Dortmund had "a lot of luck in the first round," BVB's 2018-19 season has left him feeling rather optimistic.
"If we strengthen our team in a few key positions, our squad is very young and good, and we have good reason to look forward to next season," he said.
This optimism seemed to represent the general mood among the Borussia Dortmund faithful that made it to the Borussia Park on the final day of the season.
There wasn't a single moment of silence in that away end. "No matter what happens, we'll sing for you until we die!" they chanted after the stadium screens had indicated another Bayern Munich goal. It certainly felt like the sense of thankfulness projected by Adam and Ofer before the game was shared by the 5,000 traveling supporters.
After the game, the Borussia Dortmund players stood in front of their fans, cheering for them, appreciating their support. The supporters in the away stand returned the favor with chanting that went on for about 20 minutes. No one left their seat, giving departing Christian Pulisic and former captain Marcel Schmelzer a special reception.
Despite not winning the league, it's this sort of optimism that Borussia Dortmund will be happy to take with them into next season.
Head coach Lucien Favre reflected that sentiment afterwards. The Swiss said in the post-match press conference that while the team were "disappointed" to miss out on the title, "we can all be happy with our season."
Adam, Ofer and the thousands of other devoted Borussia Dortmund fans will be there.
Bayern Munich vs. Dortmund: The turning points in a tense Bundesliga title race
For the first time since 2009-10, the Bundesliga title race was decided on the final day of the season. But how has the battle between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund unfolded? DW rewinds the tapes.
Image: picture-alliance/SvenSimon
Matchday 6: Hertha Berlin 2-0 Bayern Munich
After both went unbeaten in their opening five games,Niko Kovac's return to his hometown, Berlin, proved unpleasant as Hertha handed him a first defeat as head coach. Bayern mustered 24 shots on goal, but only forced Thomas Kraft into three saves in what was their first loss in eight years during the Oktoberfest season. Making matters worse for Kovac, BVB won in Leverkusen to go top of the table.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/O. Andersen
Matchday 7: Borussia Dortmund 4-3 Augsburg
Looking to capitalize the week after, BVB had to survive a seven-goal thriller against Augsburg. After twice coming from behind, the hosts led 3-2 before Michael Gregoritsch's 87th-minute equalizer set up a stunning finale as second-half substitute Paco Alcacer completed his hat trick with a 96th-minute free-kick to clinch a victory that was made all the sweeter by Bayern's defeat to Gladbach.
Image: picture-alliance/B.Thissen
Matchday 11: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Bayern Munich
In Round 1 of Der Klassiker, Bayern led twice, but Robert Lewandowski's brace wasn't enough to claim even a share of the spoils as a Marco Reus-inspired BVB turned the game on its head with super-sub Paco Alcacer netting another winner to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Dortmund opened up a seven-point advantage over Bayern, who had now fallen off to fifth place in the table.
Image: Getty Images/A.Grimm
Matchday 12: Bayern Munich 3-3 Fortuna Düsseldorf
To make matters worse, Bayern let a two-goal lead slip against Düsseldorf the following weekend. The German record titleholders got caught cold by Watford-loanee Dodi Lukebakio's hat trick, the first conceded by Manuel Neuer in his 358th Bundesliga appearance. The 93rd minute equalizer clinched Fortuna's first win in Munich since 1996 and saw Bayern fall 9-points adrift of Dortmund.
The newly promoted side ensured there was another twist in the title race tale before the winter break though, as they handed BVB their first loss, ending their longest-running unbeaten start to a season. Lukebakio broke the deadlock before Jean Zimmer scored a screamer and, while Alcacer produced his 10th goal as a super-sub, the result saw Dortmund's lead cut to six by Christmas.
Image: Getty Images/M. Hitij
Matchday 22: Nuremberg 0-0 Borussia Dortmund
With Marco Reus out injured, Dortmund hit a rough patch in early February that culminated in a run of three straight draws that allowed Bayern to move within three points despite suffering a loss to Leverkusen. The last of these was a painful goalless Monday night encounter in Nuremberg as Christian Mathenia won his 90-minute long battle with a trigger-happy Mario Götze.
Having seen Dortmund lose to Augsburg in the Friday night fixture on Matchday 24, Bayern didn't waste the opportunity to move level on points as they smashed five past Gladbach. At the time it was Bayern's 11th win in 12 with Lewandowski scoring more than once in a single game for the 51st time in his Bundesliga career. However, even a 5-1 win couldn't erase Bayern's goal-difference deficit.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/I. Fassbender
Matchday 28: Bayern Munich 5-0 Borussia Dortmund
That changed after a 6-0 win against Wolfsburg, but it wasn't until Round 2 of Der Klassiker that Bayern seized top spot outright and they did it in emphatic fashion. Dortmund mustered just four attempts on goal of which just one found the target and ended up suffering the biggest defeat inflicted on a league leader since Karlsruher SC's 6-1 loss to Leverkusen in August 1997.
The second Revierderby turned out to be a nightmare for BVB. Not only did Marco Reus (11) get sent off, but so did Marius Wolf. Schalke, having their worst season in years, surprised everyone by claiming all three points. But Bayern failed to capitalize, stumbling to a 1-1 draw in Nuremberg. Had Tim Leibold's 92-minute penalty not come back off the post, it could have been even worse for Bayern.
Image: Imago/M. Müller
Matchday 33: RB Leipzig 0-0 Bayern Munich
Whether Bayern's goalless draw with RB Leipzig will go down as a turning point depends on what happens on the final day. What is for sure is that the German record titleholders passed up the chance to wrap up the title with a game to spare. Leon Goretzka thought he had scored a second-half winner, only for the tightest offside call of the season to deny Bayern all three points.
It goes to the final day, with Bayern needing just a point against Niko Kovac's former club to be sure of a seventh straight title - and they did it in style. Departing legends Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben both came off the bench to score the fourth and fifth, respectively, as Bayern crushed Frankfurt. Dortmund win 2-0 in Mönchengladbach but it counts for little in the end. Bayern are champions.
