The dominance of Bayern Munich in German football lasted long and strong. It seemed untouchable for 11 years. This year, the giant from Munich has come away with nothing. The trophy room will remain closed. The Bundesliga has a new ruler – Leverkusen. Even in the Champions League, Bayern couldn’t go beyond the semifinals. But if there’s something to tip one’s hat to them for, it’s the graceful manner in which they step down from the throne. In the style of a great club. The packed Allianz Arena bid farewell tonight to its darlings, who, against Wolfsburg, not only healed the wounds of Madrid but also played for the fans’ spirits. In the end, a 2-0 victory for the Bavarian giants, and the match will be longest remembered by the young Croatian footballer Lovro Zvonarek, who scored a goal in his first career start. And he did it in the fourth minute of the match. There was reason for at least a little celebration for Manuel Neuer, who today marked his 500th appearance in the Bundesliga. However, he’s far from the top of that list even among goalkeepers, occupying only the 12th position.500 – Bayern’s Manuel Neuer makes his 500th Bundesliga appearance (156 for Schalke, 344 for Bayern) – he is the fourth goalkeeper in BL history to reach this mark after Oliver Kahn (557), Eike Immel (534) and Uli Stein (512). Institution. pic.twitter.com/q6QlY4jTQi— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) May 12, 2024 The celebrant could have been Thomas Müller as well, who is awaiting his 150th goal in the Bundesliga. Regarding Bayern, he’s fourth on that list, but before retiring, he might catch up to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (162). While veterans Neuer and Müller were in the spotlight before the game, Bayern’s young talents got their moment on the field. Alongside Alexander Pavlović, who already feels comfortable among the starting 11, starting opportunities were also given to Bryan Zaragoza, Lovro Zvonarek, and Mathys Tel.Just four minutes into the game were enough for Bayern to take the lead, with Croatian hopeful Zvonarek scoring a goal. Alphonso Davies assisted him, although a significant part of the work was done by Thomas Müller, who let the ball through to the Croat, and he aimed precisely, hitting the post and ending the football into the net. Müller added an assist to his tally less than ten minutes later. He laid the ball off for Leon Goretzka, who calmly struck from the heart of the penalty area to make it 2-0. Bryan Zaragoza wasn’t lucky enough to find his name among the scorers, as his goal was disallowed after VAR intervention in the 18th minute. After that Bayern blitzkrieg, the game entered much calmer waters.BUNDESLIGA – MATCHDAY 33FridayAugsburg – Stuttgart 0-1 (0-0)/Guirassy 48/SaturdayRB Leipzig – Werder 1-1 (0-1)/Sesko 61 – Seiwald 35 og/Freiburg – Heidenheim 1-1 (1-1)/Doan 29 – Sessa 38/Koln – Union Berlin 3-2 (1-2)/Kainz 45 pen, TIgges 88, Downs 90+3 – Knoche 15, Volland 19 pen/M’ gladbach – Eintr.Frankfurt 1-1 (1-1)/Hack 9 – Dina Ebimbe 35/Mainz – Dortmund 3-0 (3-0)/Barreiro 12, Lee 19, 23/SundayDarmstadt – Hoffenheim 0-6 (0-5)/Bebou 2, 51, Beier 6, 44, Kadegabek 22, Kabak 26/Bayern – Wolfsburg 2-0 (2-0)/Zvonarek 4, Goretzka 14/20:30: (4.40) Bochum (4.25) Leverkusen (1.70)***odds are subject to change***
