Champions! Irresistible Reds breeze past Frankfurt

FC Bayern are the 2018/19 Bundesliga champions! The German record champions knew they needed one point to claim the championship shield on Saturday, but they demonstrated from the off they wanted to crown the campaign with a victory in the last match, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1. Kingsley Coman handed Bayern an early lead. Sébastien Haller levelled the scores after half-time, but David Alaba and Renato Sanches replied almost immediately, and Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben made sure the scoreline reflected the balance of play and crowned their last Bundesliga match for FC Bayern.

The Bavarians started with Sven Ulreich in goal and Joshua Kimmich, Niklas Süle, Mats Hummels and Alaba at the back. Thiago and Leon Goretzka anchored a midfield featuring Serge Gnabry, Thomas Müller and Coman, with Robert Lewandowski as sole striker.

Early lead

From the very beginning the Reds left no doubt as to who would leave the pitch as winners – and who would claim the championship title, for that matter. The Allianz Arena clocks showed barely 200 seconds had been played when Bayern took the first crucial step towards silverware, Müller's perceptive pass inviting Coman to slot past netminder Kevin Trapp. Gnabry and Alaba saw efforts saved by Trapp before Lewandowski glanced a header over the bar.

Lewandowski saw another shot saved before the Reds had the ball in the back of the net for a second time when Gnabry beat Trapp, but the goal was ruled out for an offside position after VAR intervention. Jonathan de Guzman almost put through his own goal, hitting the bar following a Coman cross. Trapp denied Müller before Goretzka had to be replaced with a knock, Renato Sanches coming on before half-time.

Dreamlike finish for Franck and Arjen

The second half began with a shock, Haller levelling the scores, but Bayern seemed mortally offended by the idea of squandering points or worse, and Alaba restored the lead almost immediately when Trapp parried a Müller effort, the Austrian pouncing on the rebound. Sanches soon wriggled his way past two defenders and slotted past Trapp.

The home crowd rose to hail Franck Ribéry when he came on for Coman on the hour and again reacted with a long standing ovation when Arjen Robben took over from Gnabry, and the two legends crowned their last home match for Bayern. The Frenchman crisply sidestepped two defenders before chipping Trapp to banish any lingering doubts. Robben rounded off the scoreline when he tapped home before the full-time whistle sounded and the championship celebrations began.

The result means the Bavarians finish on 78 points, two clear of Borussia Dortmund, who beat Gladbach 2-0. Bayern will be back in action next Saturday, when they face RB Leipzig in the DFB Cup final in Berlin, and the Reds will be buoyed by the championship title and Saturday's impressive performance as they look to round off the double.

Live match report for fcbayern.com by Greg Salmen