The 2021-22 Bundesliga season had its fair share of barnburners. Champions Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen were involved in high-scoring shootouts as they are wont to do, while European champions Eintracht Frankfurt and surprise package Freiburg were also involved in some fantastic fixtures.
And there was also a high-stakes match in the relegation battle that delivered some incredible final-day drama.
Read on below as SBOTOP lists down the five best matches of the recently concluded 2021-22 Bundesliga season.
Bayer Leverkusen 3-4 Borussia Dortmund
Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund, who finished second and third in the Bundesliga, were also the second and third-leading scorers in the league behind champions Bayern Munich. And both of their fixtures this season were absolute goal-fests that resulted in seven-goal thrillers.
The first of those games in September was easily the more exciting of the two. Despite going in front on three different occasions, Leverkusen just could not shake Dortmund, who equalised three times before grabbing the winner 13 minutes from time. Haaland was the star of the show with two goals, including the winner, as well as an assist.
Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have dominated Der Klassiker in recent years. And even with Borussia Dortmund grabbing the lead in both matches last season, Die Roten stil found a way beat their fierce rivals on both occasions.
Their first meeting of this season in Dortmund followed a similar script. Julian Brandt gave Dortmund a great start as he scored after just five minutes. However, that joy was short-lived as Bayern equalised just four minutes later through Thomas Muller. And they would take the lead on the stroke of half-time thanks to Kingsley Coman.
Dortmund battled back to equalise three minutes after the break through Haaland. But the home side could not quite break their Bayern hoodoo as the visitors went on to score the winner with a Robert Lewandowski penalty.
Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2 Bayer Leverkusen
While they won the Europa League in a dramatic penalty shootout, Eintracht Frankfurt had quite a disappointing Bundesliga campaign as they finished a mere 11th in the table. But the Eagles still had their highs in the league, with their most memorable game coming at home against Bayer Leverkusen.
The Bundesliga 2022 betting odds had Leverkusen as heavy favourites to claim the away win after two early goals from Czech striker Patrik Schick gave the visitors a commanding lead.
But Oliver Glasner’s Eagles roared back in a big way. They equalised within just eight minutes, then scored three more goals in the second half to complete a remarkable comeback. Five different players scored Frankfurt’s five goals, which was a classic example of the impressive teamwork that saw them achieve European glory this season.
Freiburg 3-3 Borussia Monchengladbach
Freiburg were the surprise package of the Bundesliga season as they flirted with the top four for the majority of the campaign.
Unfortunately, Christian Streich’s side just fell short of clinching a Champions League spot after dropping crucial points late in the season. One of those matches was an absolute thriller as they drew 3-3 with Borussia Monchengladbach.
Gladbach had gone 2-0 up just 13 minutes into the match after goals from Ramy Bensebaini and Breel Embolo. But Freiburg responded with three goals in the second half, including Philipp Leinhart’s go-ahead goal 10 minutes from time.
Freiburg were moments away from getting the crucial win to keep their Champions League hopes alive, but Gladbach captain Lars Stindl popped up with a stoppage-time equaliser to deny the hosts.
In that way, Gladbach got their revenge on Freiburg, who handed the Foals a humiliating 6-0 beatdown in their first meeting of the season, which also goes down as one of the most remarkable Bundesliga 2022 results.
VfL Stuttgart 2-1 Koln
The final-day showdown between Stuttgart and Koln does not have nearly the number of goals that the other games on this list have. But it sure packed more than enough stakes and drama to warrant its inclusion.
Stuttgart needed a win – as well as a Hertha Berlin loss at Dortmund – to escape from the relegation play-off place and ensure survival this season.
They were on their way to holding up their end of the bargain as Sasa Kalajdzic gave them an early lead. However, Koln striker Anthony Modeste – who was one of the biggest Bundesliga surprises this season – equalised on the hour mark with his 20th goal of the campaign.
Stuttgart looked play-off-bound as the match headed to stoppage time still level, but Wataru Endo popped up with a 92nd-minute winner to give Stuttgart all three points. That win, coupled with Hertha’s defeat to Dortmund, ensured Stuttgart top-flight status for next season in the most dramatic way possible.
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