Schalke 04 miss out on German title. Again.

Poor Schalke 04 fans. In 2001 they were all celebrating, thinking they’d won the German title, only for Bayern Munich to score a title-winning goal in the 4th minute of extra time away at Hamburg. Can you imagine? But at least they finally won it this year right? Wrong.

Schalke had looked favourites for the 2007 title, bu slipped up at Borussia Dortmund last week and allowed VFB Stuttgart to leapfrog them into first place with just a week to go in the Bundesliga. Stuttgart just needed a win at home to Energie Cottbus today to claim the trophy, and they got it.

They were actually 1-0 down after 19 minutes, but a very typical Thomas “The Hammer” Hitzlsperger long range strike and a Sami Khedira goal gave VFB the win, and the title.

Schalke 04 did the business with a 2-1 win over Bielefeld, thanks to goals from Lincoln and Halil Altintop, but still finished two points behind. Keep waiting Schalke fans, it’s got to happen sooner or later.

More immediate consolation comes in the form of Champions League qualification (Stuttgart,Schalke and Werder Bremen all qualified) while Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen will play in the UEFA Cup (hard to imagine the CL without Bayern, but there you go.)

At the other end of the Bundesliga Aachen, Mainz and Gladbach (former home of Kasey Keller) are all relegated to 2. Bundesliga (the second tier of German football) while Stuttgart can do the German double if they beat FC Nuremberg in the German Cup final on May 26.

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Category: Bundesliga, World Football