Thomas Tuchel, the manager of Bayern Munich, conceded that the Bundesliga title race had reached its conclusion following his team’s defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. The loss left Bayern trailing leaders Bayer Leverkusen by 13 points with only seven games remaining. Dortmund secured a 2-0 victory over Bayern in Der Klassiker, propelling unbeaten Leverkusen within three wins of claiming their first-ever Bundesliga title.
Asked whether the title race was now essentially over, Tuchel, who will leave at the end of the season, told Sky Sport Germany: “Obviously, yes.
“After today’s game there is no more need to count points. How many is it now? Congratulations to Leverkusen.
“We are very disappointed because we felt we did not bring the necessary passion to win the game. It was too little from us when it came to the basics.”
Karim Adeyemi and Julian Ryerson found the net in both halves, securing Dortmund’s initial league triumph at Bayern in a decade.
Bayern, reigning champions for 11 consecutive seasons, now face the stark reality that they may need to secure the Champions League title to prevent their first season without any silverware since 2012.
Their next challenge comes against Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, scheduled for April 9th.
Tuchel’s squad has experienced setbacks in eight of their 27 league matches this season. Leverkusen, on the other hand, have showcased an impressive performance, winning all but four matches and accumulating a total of 73 points, surpassing Bayern’s tally from the previous title-winning season.
Leverkusen has consistently been in contention for the Bundesliga title, finishing as runners-up in various seasons including 2011, 2002, 2000, 1999, and 1997. Additionally, they faced defeats in the German Cup and Champions League finals in 2002.
Their unbeaten streak was nearly disrupted last Saturday, but late goals from Robert Andrich and Patrik Schick secured a 2-1 victory against Hoffenheim, allowing Leverkusen to avoid their first loss of the season.
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