Fußball-Bundesliga 2000/01

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The Bundesliga 2000/01-season was widely considered as the season with the most dramatic championship decision in league-history.

[edit] 34th match day

When the last match day started Bayern Munich was in the lead to Schalke 04 by three points. As the goal-difference of Bayern was three goals worse than those of Schalke, Bayern needed at least a tie at their away-match at Hamburger SV to get the championship – under the condition, that Schalke were winning their home-match against SpVgg Unterhaching. Schalke indeed managed to win in a turbulent match, after lying behind by 0-2. After they tied the match by half-time, Unterhaching took the lead again in the 68th minute. Schalke stroke back by two goals in the 72nd and 73rd minute and finally won by 5-3.

The match in Hamburg began 5 minutes late, as spectators had throw things onto the ground. There had been no goals until the 90th minute. At this time Sergej Barbarez scored for Hamburg with a header. Schalke took the lead in the “imaginable” table at the same moment. The news became quickly public at Gelsenkirchen and the match in the Parkstadion ended few time after this.

Most Schalke supporters obviously believed that their team had gained the first championship since 1958 and crowds of people ran onto the infield celebrating this. Then the stadium-television showed live-pictures from Hamburg. The three minutes of injury-time in Hamburg had not been over. So Bayern had still the chance to strike back.

Then the people in Gelsenkirchen could see that the Hamburg-goalkeeper Mathias Schober took a back-pass by his team-mate into his hands. So referee Markus Merk gave an indirect free-kick for Bayern about eight meters from the Hamburg-goal. There were discussions and protests which postponed the match for another minute. The tension was very high because any player and spectator knew that the whole season would be decided in this single situation.

Stefan Effenberg played the ball to Bayern-defender Patrick Andersson, who shot the ball through the wall of the Hamburg-defenders into the net. The match ended with this situation.

By this Bayern won their 17th title with one point ahead of Schalke.

Schalke believed for 3 minutes and 43 seconds, that they could get their 8th title. Instead of this they became the first “champion of hearts” in the history of the Bundesliga, as many supporters, even of other teams, felt with them and were sorry of their bad luck.

[edit] Statistics

The final table of Germany's 1st Bundesliga of football (soccer), Season 2000/01

                               Games  W   D   L   GF:GA  Pts.
 1. FC Bayern München (M)       34   19  06  09   62:37   63
 2. FC Schalke 04 (P)           34   18  08  08   65:35   62
 3. Borussia Dortmund           34   16  10  08   62:42   58
 4. Bayer 04 Leverkusen         34   17  06  11   54:40   57
 5. Hertha BSC Berlin           34   18  02  14   58:52   56
 6. SC Freiburg                 34   15  10  09   54:37   55
 7. Werder Bremen               34   15  08  11   53:48   53
 8. 1. FC Kaiserslautern        34   15  05  14   49:54   50
 9. VfL Wolfsburg               34   12  11  11   60:45   47
10. 1. FC Köln (N)              34   12  10  12   59:52   46
11. TSV 1860 München            34   12  08  14   43:55   44
12. Hansa Rostock               34   12  07  15   34:47   43
13. Hamburger SV                34   10  11  13   58:58   41
14. Energie Cottbus (N)         34   12  03  19   38:52   39
15. VfB Stuttgart               34   09  11  14   42:49   38
16. SpVgg Unterhaching *        34   08  11  15   35:59   35
17. Eintracht Frankfurt *       34   10  05  19   41:68   35
18. VfL Bochum (N) *            34   07  06  21   30:67   27

German football champions   : FC Bayern München
Relegated                   : VfL Bochum, Eintracht Frankfurt, SpVgg Unterhaching
Promoted                    : 1. FC Nürnberg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, FC St. Pauli

Top goal scorer             : Sergej Barbarez (Hamburger SV)  22 Goals
                              Ebbe Sand (FC Schalke 04)       22 Goals 

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