Bayern Munich Edges Werder Bremen to Win 8th Straight Bundesliga Title

Watch Robert Lewandowski's goal and Manuel Neuer's save that preserved the win and clinched the eighth straight title for the club.

BREMEN, Germany (AP) — Cheers echoed around an empty stadium as Bayern Munich celebrated its eighth straight Bundesliga title amid the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday.

With no fans in the stands on a wet night in Bremen, it was a subdued and strange celebration for Bayern’s players, who put on commemorative T-shirts and paid tribute to their absent supporters with cheers.

German media have dubbed the team the “Geister-Meister” — the ghost champions.

“Celebrating without the fans is a bit complicated,” Lewandowski told broadcaster Sky. “The atmosphere is missing and something else, not the motivation, but the passion from the fans.”

The game which secured the title was anything but typical Bayern.

Robert Lewandowski’s goal earned a hard-fought, physical 1-0 win over Werder Bremen, which became a battle after Alphonso Davies was sent off in the 79th minute. If not for a late one-handed save by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, the celebrations would have had to wait.

The technique level on this goal: 💯

Robert Lewandowski puts Bayern Munich in position to clinch the Bundesliga title today

(via @FoxDeportes) pic.twitter.com/5FPl0n8YZj

— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) June 16, 2020

What. A. Save, Manuel Neuer. 😱🧤 pic.twitter.com/K8fn8htioi

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2020

The win put Bayern 10 points clear of second-place Borussia Dortmund, which can earn a maximum nine points from its three remaining games.

Werder, which is fighting against relegation, kept Bremen at bay for most of the first half but the champions still found a breakthrough. Jerome Boateng played a perfectly weighted ball over the defense in the 43rd minute for Robert Lewandowski to control on his chest and hit past the goalkeeper for his 31st Bundesliga goal this season.

Bayern finished with 10 men after a second yellow card for Alphonso Davies. The Canadian left-back had a game of extremes, setting a new league record for fastest sprint, but also coming close to a straight red card after seemingly kicking out at Werder’s Leonardo Bittencourt. Davies only received a yellow card for that incident, but was later booked again for a clumsy challenge.

Werder used its full coronavirus-era allowance of five substitutions to bring on extra attackers and chase a draw. They would have had a point if not for Neuer, who made a crucial late diving save to stop Yuya Osako’s header.

At the final whistle coach Hansi Flick brushed aside social distancing rules to hug his staff as a smattering of club officials in the stands shook hands.

That made Germany the first major European league to crown a champion after resuming play amid the coronavirus pandemic. Paris Saint-Germain was named French champion in April, but that was after the rest of the season was canceled.

Bayern is planning a team party but can’t invite players’ families because of coronavirus restrictions, chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

Bayern powered to its 30th German title with a perfect record of seven wins in the Bundesliga since it resumed last month in empty stadiums amid the coronavirus pandemic. Hansi Flick has coached Bayern to 26 wins from 29 games in all competitions since he took over in November after Niko Kovac had led the team to a 5-1 loss at Eintracht Frankfurt.

“When Hansi took over the helm, he quickly got the ship going again,” Rummenigge said in televised comments. Flick started out as an interim coach but was given an extension to 2023 in April.

Bayern is chasing a possible triple. It can add the German Cup if it beats Bayer Leverkusen in the July 4 final and is in contention for the Champions League. Europe’s premier club competition was postponed because of the coronavirus but is due to finish in a tournament format in August.

“We’ve got enough time to get ready for it,” Lewandowski said of the Champions League.

Germany’s relatively early finish is likely to leave Bayern a month without competitive games after the German Cup final. Bayern still needs to play the second leg of a last-16 fixture with Chelsea after winning the first game 3-0 in February.

Last-place Paderborn was relegated after losing 1-0 Wednesday to Union Berlin. Borussia Mönchengladbach moved back into the Champions League places in fourth with a 3-0 win over Wolfsburg. Freiburg beat Hertha Berlin 2-1.