MUNICH, 15 May 2005 — Bayern Munich staged a fitting finale to their 33-year run at the Olympic Stadium yesterday, beating Nuremberg 6-3 in their last match at one of the most famous sporting venues in the world.
Bayern, who clinched their 19th German league title two weeks ago, will move to a new 280 million euro ($359.7 million) stadium next season.
They ensured the fans would be celebrating well before the post-match title presentation as two goals from Roy Makaay and one apiece from Claudio Pizarro, Michael Ballack and Sebastian Deisler put them 5-0 ahead by halftime.
Martin Demichelis scored an own goal shortly after the break but Deisler restored the home side’s five-goal lead before they eased off in the final few minutes. That gave Nuremberg striker Samuel Slovak the chance to claim the honor of being the last goalscorer at the stadium with two strikes in the final 10 minutes. Bayern captain and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn was presented with the Bundesliga championship shield on the pitch after the game.
In Frankfurt, Schalke 04 suffered a 2-1 derby defeat by Borussia Dortmund yesterday while VfB Stuttgart lost 2-0 at relegated Bochum to leave the race for Champions League places wide open with one game left.
The two nervy defeats left Schalke clinging to second place in the Bundesliga with 60 points, 14 behind runaway champions Bayern Munich and two ahead of third-placed Stuttgart.
The top two qualify directly for the Champions League with the third-placed team going into the final qualifying round.
Hertha Berlin also dropped points, managing only a goalless draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach, but it was enough to keep them in with a chance of claiming a top three finish. Werder Bremen, last season’s double winners, revived their hopes of returning to Europe’s top club competition with a 4-1 win at home to Freiburg.
Rangers Back on Top in Scotland
In Glagow, Rampant Rangers returned to the top of the Scottish Premier League by a point following an emphatic 4-1 home win over Motherwell yesterday. Rangers have 90 points with one game to go while Celtic sit second on 89 with two left, including today’s visit to Hearts.
Thomas Buffel fired Rangers ahead in 13 minutes and Shota Arveladze hooked in a second four minutes later. Arveladze tucked home the third in 54 minutes after a great run and low cross by Nacho Novo. Three minutes later Buffel rammed in a glorious fourth following a back-heeled pass in the box by Dado Prso watched by former Rangers management duo Graeme Souness, now boss of Newcastle, and Walter Smith, now Scotland head coach.
Marvin Andrews scored his second own goal in a week when he turned a low ball into the net two minutes from time.
Lille Sink Nantes to Strengthen Hold on Second Place
In Paris, Lille won 3-1 at struggling Nantes yesterday, claiming their fifth victory in six matches and strengthening their hold on second position in Ligue 1.
Midfielder Stephane Dumont opened the scoring for Lille in the ninth minute before defender Rafael Schmitz and substitute Mathieu Debuchy were on target with second-half headers. Lille, six points ahead of their closest rivals Monaco, will finish no lower than third in the table and are certain of qualifying for the preliminary round of next season’s Champions League.
Monaco play hosts to Bastia later.
Nantes are 15th in the 20-team Ligue 1, two points above the relegation zone.
