Bundesliga Finale: Twists, Turns and Triumphs On The Final Matchday

The Bundesliga season came to an end on Saturday, and despite the title having been decided a while ago, there was still a lot to play for. The top four and the top six were still up for grabs and the battle at the bottom, while not as close, could still have changed if there was a huge goal difference swing. So what happened in the final 90 minutes in Germany?

Bayern Sign Off In Style

Bayern had already wrapped up the title so you would think that they might be on the beach for their final trip to Hoffenheim. Thomas Muller started in what was his last game for the German giants and while he didn’t manage to get involved in the goals, he was able to celebrate as his team went on to win 4-0. Goals from Michael Olise, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane saw off the hosts who had had a terrible season and were just looking for it to end.

What a photo. Thomas Müller with all the trophies he's won at Bayern Munich. 🇩🇪👏 pic.twitter.com/4sjscwtnbb
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 12, 2025

By the fourth goal, Hoffenheim were looking over their shoulder, as Heidenheim started the day just three points and six goal difference behind them. Any sort of win from Heidenheim and Die Kraichgauers could have seen themselves in an unexpected relegation playoff. As it so happened Heidenheim were on the receiving end of a very similar score line, losing 4-1 to Werder Bremen whose season was practically over, finishing in eighth place.

Dortmund Snatch A Champion’s League Spot

Probably the biggest story of the weekend came out of the North Rhine-Westphalia region, as Dortmund’s 3-0 win over Holstein Kiel was enough to see them move up into fourth, regardless of the other results. They started the day in fifth, but because third placed Eintracht Frankfurt and fourth placed SC Freiburg faced each other, they would overtake one of them, even if they drew.

Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring from the penalty spot inside three minutes, and from there it was simple for Dortmund. Holstein Kiel had a man sent off on nine minutes, and the already relegated club just rolled over for the German giants after that. Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha made sure all three points were safe, and they didn’t even need to check the scores at full time, as they knew that they had secured a Champions League spot, despite the horrific season that they had had.

Borussia Dortmund were in 11th place two months ago.

They won seven of their final eight games to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League for the 10th straight season 🌟 pic.twitter.com/A9xTb3aKLc
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 17, 2025

Freiburg meanwhile will have felt like they had thrown away their chance to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. They took the lead in the first half, with Ritsu Doan scoring his tenth of the season, however an equaliser from Ansgar Knauff just before halftime knocked the wind out of their sails. The match ended 3-1, with Frankfurt securing their Champions League qualification while Freiburg were condemned to a Europa League spot.

RB Leipzig Miss Out On Europe

RB Leipzig’s season has been full of ups and downs, but it certainly ended on one of their lowest points throughout the whole campaign. Going into the final day, they needed to win and hope that Mainz wouldn’t win against Bayer Leverkusen. They faced Stuttgart at home, who had won their last two matches, and while they had nothing to play for, were eyeing up a top eight finish. The Red Bull team started well, with Xavi Simons finding the back of the net inside the first 10 minutes for his 10th goal of the season. Stuttgart levelled through Deniz Undav, but Leipzig were able to retake the lead just before half time.

On the 57 minute mark, Stuttgart equalised again through Nick Woltemade, however all was not lost, as Bayer Leverkusen had just scored twice against Mainz to turn the game around and lead 2-1. Leipzig tried to hold on, but a 78th minute winner from substitute Ermedin Demirovic meant that the Red Bull club finished outside of the top six in the Bundesliga for the first time since they were first promoted to the league back in 2015/16.

A remarkable campaign reaches its conclusion! 🤩🙌#Mainz05 pic.twitter.com/DQYOjNc3lb
— Mainz 05 English (@Mainz05en) May 19, 2025

Mainz’s game wasn’t over when Bayer Leverkusen took the lead early in the second half either. The home side continued to push for an equaliser and were rewarded with a Jonathan Burkardt penalty. The equaliser didn’t matter in terms of league position, but to secure a draw against one of the best teams in the league was an incredible way to end an impressive season.