Bayern finished convincing winners in Cologne on the last day of the season in a match which was only a true contest for a half, a double strike just after the break effectively sealing the home side’s relegation from the top flight and ending their earlier stern resistance.
The deafeningly loud 50,000 full house at RheinEnergieStadion saw Jupp Heynckes’ men run out in what could well be their Champions League final line-up, and after sorting out some early communication problems, Munich were good value for their half-time lead courtesy of Thomas Müller’s 34th-minute goal.
The second half was only seven minutes old when Pedro Geromel put through his own goal, before Arjen Robben added an excellent third just 120 seconds later. Milivoje Novakovic pulled one back after 63 minutes, but the fight had gone out of the home side now and Müller added his side’s fourth with five minutes to go.
The result means Bayern end the league season in second place with 73 points from their 34 matches. The Bavarians’ eventful campaign now reaches its climax with the two huge games in the next two weeks, the DFB Cup showdown with Dortmund in Berlin next Saturday, and the Champions League final at the Allianz Arena a week after that on Saturday 19 May.
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