Drama ensued in the Bundesliga relegation play-off after Bochum completed a historic comeback, trailing 3-0 on aggregate coming into the second leg of their play-off game against Duesseldorf, but still claimed glory with a 6-5 victory on penalties.
The Bundeslgia 2024 betting odds were against Die Unabsteigbaren coming into their match at Merkur Spiel-Arena, given that they’ll need to score three unanswered goals just to force extra time.
Bochum might’ve failed to garner winning Bundesliga 2024 results, but they delivered when it mattered most.
Second division side Dusseldorf found themselves up 3-0 on aggregate after a stunning performance during the first leg of their play-off against Bochum. But the top-flight outfit proved why they belonged in the Bundesliga and proceeded to rally, led by Philipp Hofmann and Kevin Stoger.
Bochum’s veteran forward, Hofmann, showed up and scored two goals, while the Austrian midfielder delivered a stunner to level the match 3-3.
The dramatic rally was culminated by a heart-wrenching penalty shootout that saw Düsseldorf’s Takashi Uchino succumb to pressure and send his spot kick over high over the goal, handing Bochum the 6-5 win in penalties.
This was the first time a play-off has gone to penalties since the Bundesliga reintroduced the scheme, and Die Unabsteigbaren ultimately succeeded in retaining their rightful spot in the German top flight.
Harry Kane wins European Golden Boot
In his debut season with Bayern Munich, Three Lions skipper Harry Kane has scored 36 goals in the Bundesliga, boasting of being the top goal scorer in Europe in the 2023–24 campaign and winning the 2024 European Golden Boot.
The 30-year-old made a shocking move to the German top flight after an illustrious spell with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Kane may have opted to change scenery, but his goal-scoring prowess stayed the same.
With 36 domestic goals to his name, the Bayern Munich striker finished ahead of VfB Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy (28 goals), Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe (27), Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (27), Girona’s Artem Dovbyk (24), and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martínez (24) in the European Golden Boot race.
This SBOTOP writer believes that the Bavarians got exactly what they paid for in Kane, given his immediate contributions on and off the pitch, so to put blame on the Tottenham legend with how catastrophic Bayern Munich’s campaign had been doesn’t make sense.
All in all, at 30 years of age, amidst controversy, Harry Kane is still one of, if not the most prolific, strikers in the game.
Bayer Leverkusen complete domestic double
With their treble dreams going down the drain after their Europa League final defeat against Atalanta, Die Werkself laced their boots once again and faced FCK in the DFB-Pokal final.
With heavy hearts, Leverkusen braved Berlin and claimed DFB-Pokal glory despite finishing most of the match down to 10 men.
Granit Xhaka was the man of the match, striking a stunner in minute 16 to give Leverkusen a 1-0 lead, which was enough to claim the title and becoming the first Swiss player to score in the tournament’s final.
Centre-back Odilon Kossounou was sent off the pitch in minute 44 for two bookable offences, forcing Alonso’s Leverkusen to brave the FCK charge with just 10 players on the field.
With the DFB-Pokal and the Bundesliga titles clenched, Leverkusen finished their domestic campaign with an unbeaten 40-0 record, becoming the first German double winners to go through an entire domestic campaign without a single defeat.
Bayern Munich close to signing Vincent Kompany
Boasting as the Bundesliga 2024 odds favourites to win the title by season’s end, Bayern Munich slowly deteriorated in form as the season progressed. The season Bayern had hoped for after signing Harry Kane crumbled before their eyes, and, like in the downfall of every mighty sports team, fingers started pointing around.
The person who suffered the most scrutiny was their head coach, Thomas Tuchel. The 50-year-old failed to lead the Bavarians to any silverware by season’s end, a picture Bayern fans aren’t too accustomed to. And after finishing the Bundesliga season in third place, the panic button was pushed, which started the managerial carousel in Munich.
It’s been reported that the frontrunner for the illustrious coaching job is Burnley boss Vincent Kompany. After a string of rejections from the likes of Xbi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann, among others, the Bavarians shifted their focus on the former Manchester City star.
Burnley suffered relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2023–24 season, and if Kompany does complete the move to Bayern, he will face bigger responsibilities with taking over a winning club that suffered its worst season since 2011.
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