Berlin (AFP)

Bayern Munich, who needed a victory to clinch a ninth consecutive German league title, lost unexpectedly 2-1 in Mainz on Saturday and will have to wait before adding a new star to their jersey.

With ten points ahead of Leipzig three days from the end, the "Rekordmeister" could still be crowned Sunday if the RB lost at home against Stuttgart.

Dortmund, thanks to a new double from Erling Haaland, made the very good operation of this 31st day, going to win 2-0 at Wolfsburg, its direct competitor for the qualification in the Champions League, reserved for the first four of the ranking.

Borussia are still fifth but are back in the race, only two points behind Wolfsburg, and provisionally only one over Frankfurt, which moves to Leverkusen at the end of the afternoon.

- Bourde de Neuer -

But how did Bayern manage to miss out on their game to such an extent, when the league title was reaching out to them?

"It's hard to say, admitted captain Manuel Neuer, we weren't good in the first half, we lacked body language, commitment and the ability to build an attacking game."

"We were not surprised by Mainz", he nevertheless insisted on clarifying, "we knew that they were in a good phase, that they are fighting for their maintenance and that they would be hyper-motivated" .

Two goals conceded, including one on a blunder from Neuer, two shots from Mainz on the posts, and three yellow cards: Bayern has yet experienced its worst first period in a very long time.

The Bavarians may have thought Mainz would give them the three points and the title.

Hansi Flick's men in any case gave the impression of entering the match with a flute of Champagne in hand: absent in the duels, without rhythm, without this desire to fight on each lost ball to revive. ..

Mainz struck in the 4th minute.

On a 20m shot from Jonathan Burkhardt, Neuer made an unusual hand fault for him (1-0).

His second miss in three weeks, very similar to the one that brought Paris SG's first goal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on April 7.

More aggressive, Mainz very logically doubled the lead in the 37th minute by the Swede Robin Quaison (2-0).

Meanwhile, Neuer had been saved twice by his posts, and the extremely nervous Jerome Boateng, Leon Goretzka and David Alaba had been warned.

- Sané and Coman out -

Hansi Flick obviously tasted the joke very little.

At the break, he unceremoniously took out his two star wingers Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman, as well as Goretzka, to give Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting a chance, and two 18-year-old players, Jamal Musiala and, more surprisingly, the Paris SG-trained Frenchman Tanguy Nianzou, who had only made four very short Bundesliga appearances this season.

But Bayern was definitely having a bad day.

Powerless, the Munich watched the minutes go by in the second period, without managing to endanger the Mainz goalkeeper.

And it took the inevitable goal of Robert Lewandowski (90 + 4) to extend their incredible series of 68 consecutive matches with at least one goal (2-1).

In the other poster of the day, Dortmund had a lot to lose from their trip to Wolfsburg.

For this crucial match, Borussia had found its English jewels Jadon Sancho, the defensive blaster, best provider of balls for Erling Haaland.

Sancho didn't make an assist, but Haaland scored his 24th and 25th goals of the season, both in his favorite style: thrown towards the goal in the middle of the race, to come and beat the keeper closely in a duel.

© 2021 AFP