A legendary 0-0? Rare in football! FC Bayern's goalless draw against Werder Bremen on 22 April 1986 has definitely gone down in history because it was the dramatic turning point in a gripping race for the German title. It was the penultimate matchday in the Bundesliga and the north Germans led the table by two points (when a win was still worth two points). A victory for Bremen would have settled the title race.
Long wait before big moment
Almost nothing happened in the first 88 minutes and nobody was expecting anything memorable. But then Rudi Völler played the ball into the face of Bayern's Sören Lerby while trying to cross, and he successfully claimed a penalty. It took a while for the spot-kick to be taken because Egon Cordes, Bayern's assistant coach, had kicked the ball away out of anger at the decision. A replacement ball was not available and so it took a few minutes until the big moment. Michael Kutzop finally stepped up to the penalty spot. The Bremen defender had never missed a penalty in his career and scored seven in the 1985/86 season alone.
Jubilation for Bayern
Kutzop ran up slowly and paused, Bayern goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff guessed the wrong side early. The Bremen defender shot in the other direction – but hit the post! Bayern celebrated while Werder were in disbelief. In the end, the score remained 0-0 and FCB still had a mathematical chance of winning the title.
Bayern wrestle title from Bremen
On the final matchday, it came down to both team's simultaneous fixtures. The Munich side performed extremely confidently and defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 6-0, while Bremen lost 2-1 at Stuttgart. With equal points, but better goal difference, Bayern and coach Udo Lattek celebrated their ninth league title.
