Bayern celebrate remarkable season with dominant win over Köln
| (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images) |
The game briefly threatened to be close. Rene Wagner's side limited the damage in the first half, with Bayern ahead only 3-1. Köln were not entirely out of the game, but Harry Kane had other ideas. In the 69th minute, the Englishman struck from range past a diving Marvin Schwäbe to clinch three points and a comfortable win on the final day.
Nicolas Jackson came off the bench to add to the scoresheet as Bayern won 5-1 at the Allianz Arena to close out their Bundesliga season. Vincent Kompany's side picked up a remarkable 89 points, with 122 goals in just 34 games.
Bayern started the festivities early. Joshua Kimmich found Harry Kane in the box, and Kane volleyed home to make it 1-0. Only three minutes later, Kimmich rolled the ball forward on a free kick, and Kane tucked it away in the bottom corner to make it 2-0 to the Bavarians.
Köln didn’t give up easily, though. In the 18th minute, Said El Mala dispossessed Jamal Musiala in his own half and went on an incredible solo run, calmly tucking it past Manuel Neuer to make it 2-1.
Bayern promptly doubled their advantage again just four minutes later. Lennart Karl played a smart one-two with Konrad Laimer, and his low cross found Tom Bischof at the edge of the area. Bischof powered it past Marvin Schwäbe to make it 3-1, with the 20-year-old scoring his third goal of the season.
Bayern nearly added a fourth minutes later. Luis Díaz danced past several Köln defenders, but his low cross found Lennart Karl, who shot well over the bar. Díaz himself missed a chance to add another shortly before the half, when Schwäbe denied the Colombian on a 1v1 in the 43rd minute.
Vincent Kompany's side had one last chance to score before the half. Leon Goretzka, playing his last Bundesliga game for Bayern, slid in to win possession, giving Musiala a golden opportunity. Musiala’s shot hit the post, however, and a scramble near the goal line allowed Schwäbe to collect the ball.
Karl came close to opening the scoring in the second half in the 53rd minute. His curling shot from the edge of the area hit the post, though, and the score stayed at 3-1. Ten minutes later, Musiala had a chance from a similar position, and his deflected shot went just wide of the post.
In the 70th minute, Bayern finally got the fourth they had been looking for. Unsurprisingly, it came from Kane. Goretzka found the English striker in space, and Kane struck from distance to make it 4-1 and complete his hat trick.
Goretzka was subbed off in the 82nd minute to a standing ovation. The midfielder has spent the past eight years in Munich, but will leave at the end of his contract this summer. Nicolas Jackson, also in his last game for Bayern Munich on loan from Chelsea, was his replacement.
Jackson needed only seconds on the pitch to score. Kane won the ball back, Díaz nudged it forward to Jackson, and the Senegalese striker slotted past Schwäbe to make it 5-1.
Bayern held on for the 5-1 win, ending a remarkable season with 89 points and another Meisterschale. Köln, meanwhile, ended the season in 14th place, three points above the drop, and will be back in the Bundesliga next season.
