Created on 31-03-2013 at 00:00 AM
The title is still two points away, and there would have been no championship party even if Bayern had wrapped up the league crown at home to Hamburg, but Saturday’s match at the Allianz Arena was an unforgettable festival of football in any case. “We were absolutely world-class today," beamed Karl-Heinz Rummenigge following a historic 9-2 victory over HSV. “As we all saw, the team staged a party of their own."
Following Bayern's biggest league victory in 25 years, the successor to an 8-1 triumph over Schalke in April 1988, and the fourth-highest in the club's history, boss Jupp Heynckes spoke of “textbook football." Even hard-bitten board member for sport Matthias Sammer was taken by surprise: “We never in our lives thought that would happen," he commented, as the players responded magnificently to a midweek call “to tighten the reins again." As Arjen Robben said: “We wanted to send out a message today."