Created on 14-05-2011 at 00:00 AM
As it turned out, Bayern’s slender hopes of second spot were not to be fulfilled on the last day of the 2010/11 season, but Andries Jonker’s side closed their league programme with an entertaining 2-1 win over Stuttgart to finish third in the Bundesliga and seal a Champions League qualifying spot.
The 69,000 capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena saw the home side, playing for the first time in their new red and gold jerseys, start brightly enough but fall behind to a Shinji Okazaki strike midway through the first half. Mario Gomez, confirmed as the league’s leading scorer this season, levelled from a superb pass by the outstanding Arjen Robben, but the sides cancelled each other out for long spells after that. Bastian Schweinsteiger headed FCB into the lead with 20 minutes to go, and Jonker’s men comfortably held out to claim a 13th home win of term.
The result, coupled with Leverkusen’s 1-0 win away to Freiburg, means Munich have come third in the Bundesliga on 65 points from their 34 matches, three off second-placed Bayer and five clear of Hannover in fourth. The Bavarians round off a roller-coaster season with three friendlies in the coming week, before the playing and coaching staff start their official summer leave. Training under new boss Jupp Heynckes officially restarts on 1 July.