Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich celebrates winning the German Bundesliga trophy for an 11th straight time. FC Bayern Munich/Twitter

KEY POINTS

  • FC Cologne aimed to prevent Bayern Munich from winning the Bundesliga
  • The sprinklers activated midway through the match
  • Bayern Munich went on to win an 11th-straight Bundesliga title despite the mishap

The soccer world is no stranger to controversy and strange happenings on the field as any number of interruptions can happen during a match due to the unpredictable nature of the sport, but for it to happen during a title-deciding clash drew a ton of intrigue.

On the 34th and final matchday of the German Bundesliga, FC Cologne (FC Koln in German) had their eyes set on preventing another Bayern Munich domination as a win for them would have led to a Borussia Dortmund title.

The eighth-minute would see Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman, with the help of a Leroy Sane grounded pass, breaking through the strong defense of the Billy Goats just inside the box–sending the ball past Marvin Schwabe.

As the match wore on and staring down a 1-0 deficit, FC Cologne had their work cut out for them and would attempt to continue pressing the attack.

At the 72nd minute, the sprinklers at their home stadium of the RheinEnergieStadion suddenly popped up out of the ground, effectively halting a counter-attack that could have potentially turned into a decent scoring chance to draw level.

Referee Sven Jablonski ordered a halt to the contest as they sought to fix the issues.

Fans across social media had their own reactions to the moment, with some throwing expletives at the sprinkler potentially costing a historic upset. Meanwhile, others took the chance to make a meme out of the situation, especially on Reddit.

After the sprinkler situation got sorted out, FC Cologne had an opportunity to draw level with Bayern Munich thanks to an attempted block from winger Serge Gnabry that hit his arm inside the box, with the video assistant referee (VAR) confirming that it was a penalty attempt for FC Cologne.

Dejan Ljubicic delivered the score-leveling shot with a well-placed attempt to the bottom left corner from the spot.

As Borussia Dortmund fans saw their club forced to settle for a draw against Mainz, only about a few minutes stood in their way between celebrating their first Bundesliga title since the 2011-12 season.

However, winger Jamal Musiala, 20, fired home a rocket-powered shot outside of the box that slotted in perfectly in the bottom right corner, which gave Bayern Munich the win and their 11th-straight Meisterschale (champions' bowl in English)–their 32nd domestic league title overall.

Much like the past decade, the 60th season of the Bundesliga again ended with the Bavarians on top of the table, while fans will be left to wonder whether Borussia Dortmund, or any other club for that matter, can finally end their grip over the domestic league.

Bundesliga
The sprinkler system activated during the Bayern Munich versus FC Cologne game on the final matchday of the 2022-23 Bundesliga season. ESPN FC/Screenshot