Bayern Munich vs. Dortmund: The turning points in a tense Bundesliga title race

After both went unbeaten in their opening five games,Niko Kovac's return to his hometown, Berlin, proved unpleasant as Hertha handed him a first defeat as head coach. Bayern mustered 24 shots on goal, but only forced Thomas Kraft into three saves in what was their first loss in eight years during the Oktoberfest season. Making matters worse for Kovac, BVB won in Leverkusen to go top of the table.

Looking to capitalize the week after, BVB had to survive a seven-goal thriller against Augsburg. After twice coming from behind, the hosts led 3-2 before Michael Gregoritsch's 87th-minute equalizer set up a stunning finale as second-half substitute Paco Alcacer completed his hat trick with a 96th-minute free-kick to clinch a victory that was made all the sweeter by Bayern's defeat to Gladbach.

In Round 1 of Der Klassiker, Bayern led twice, but Robert Lewandowski's brace wasn't enough to claim even a share of the spoils as a Marco Reus-inspired BVB turned the game on its head with super-sub Paco Alcacer netting another winner to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Dortmund opened up a seven-point advantage over Bayern, who had now fallen off to fifth place in the table.

To make matters worse, Bayern let a two-goal lead slip against Düsseldorf the following weekend. The German record titleholders got caught cold by Watford-loanee Dodi Lukebakio's hat trick, the first conceded by Manuel Neuer in his 358th Bundesliga appearance. The 93rd minute equalizer clinched Fortuna's first win in Munich since 1996 and saw Bayern fall 9-points adrift of Dortmund.

The newly promoted side ensured there was another twist in the title race tale before the winter break though, as they handed BVB their first loss, ending their longest-running unbeaten start to a season. Lukebakio broke the deadlock before Jean Zimmer scored a screamer and, while Alcacer produced his 10th goal as a super-sub, the result saw Dortmund's lead cut to six by Christmas.

With Marco Reus out injured, Dortmund hit a rough patch in early February that culminated in a run of three straight draws that allowed Bayern to move within three points despite suffering a loss to Leverkusen. The last of these was a painful goalless Monday night encounter in Nuremberg as Christian Mathenia won his 90-minute long battle with a trigger-happy Mario Götze.

Having seen Dortmund lose to Augsburg in the Friday night fixture on Matchday 24, Bayern didn't waste the opportunity to move level on points as they smashed five past Gladbach. At the time it was Bayern's 11th win in 12 with Lewandowski scoring more than once in a single game for the 51st time in his Bundesliga career. However, even a 5-1 win couldn't erase Bayern's goal-difference deficit.

That changed after a 6-0 win against Wolfsburg, but it wasn't until Round 2 of Der Klassiker that Bayern seized top spot outright and they did it in emphatic fashion. Dortmund mustered just four attempts on goal of which just one found the target and ended up suffering the biggest defeat inflicted on a league leader since Karlsruher SC's 6-1 loss to Leverkusen in August 1997.

The second Revierderby turned out to be a nightmare for BVB. Not only did Marco Reus (11) get sent off, but so did Marius Wolf. Schalke, having their worst season in years, surprised everyone by claiming all three points. But Bayern failed to capitalize, stumbling to a 1-1 draw in Nuremberg. Had Tim Leibold's 92-minute penalty not come back off the post, it could have been even worse for Bayern.

Whether Bayern's goalless draw with RB Leipzig will go down as a turning point depends on what happens on the final day. What is for sure is that the German record titleholders passed up the chance to wrap up the title with a game to spare. Leon Goretzka thought he had scored a second-half winner, only for the tightest offside call of the season to deny Bayern all three points.

It goes to the final day, with Bayern needing just a point against Niko Kovac's former club to be sure of a seventh straight title - and they did it in style. Departing legends Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben both came off the bench to score the fourth and fifth, respectively, as Bayern crushed Frankfurt. Dortmund win 2-0 in Mönchengladbach but it counts for little in the end. Bayern are champions.