Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel conceded the Bundesliga title race was over after Saturday's 2-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund left Bayer Leverkusen 13 points clear with seven games left.
"Congratulations to Leverkusen," Tuchel told Sky Germany after the match, which came hours after unbeaten league leaders Leverkusen came from behind to beat Hoffenheim 2-1 at home, thanks to two goals in the final minutes.
Asked if the title race was over, Tuchel replied "of course", saying "it's self-evident, clear" that Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen would win their first-ever Bundesliga crown.
"After the game today there's nothing left to say," said Tuchel, who will leave Bayern in the summer.
Leverkusen, who have dropped only eight points all season, need just nine points from their final seven games to lift the Bundesliga title for the first time.
Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller, who has won 12 titles in Munich, including the last 11 straight, told Sky: "I'm not a professor of mathematics and I haven't done the sums, but if we're being honest, it's unrealistic."
🚨😳 Thomas Tuchel: "Is the Bundesliga over? Yes. Definitely. Congratulations to Leverkusen." (@vcatalina96) pic.twitter.com/gdrZOJsJFF
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) March 30, 2024
It was the latest setback in a challenging week for Bayern.
Alonso, who was seen as Tuchel's successor at Bayern, announced Friday he would stay as Leverkusen coach beyond this season.
Tuchel said his side "did not hit a high level" during the game, saying "we shouldn't have allowed it to happen but we did."
Set up by goals to Munich-born Karim Adeyemi and defender Julian Ryerson, it was Dortmund's first win in Munich in 3 641 days, dating back to 2014 when Jurgen Klopp was in the dugout.
Tuchel complained about a first-half decision not to award Bayern a penalty when Mats Hummels appeared to handle the ball in the box, criticising the "catastrophic" decision.
Dortmund were 1-0 up at the time thanks to an 10th-minute Adeyemi goal and the ball looked to have bounced off Hummels' foot onto his hand, but VAR did not award a penalty.
Tuchel said he was told there was no contact with the hand, but Hummels told Sky after the match the ball had touched his fingers.
"We've seen penalties like that given. It was a terrible decision, a wrong decision," said Tuchel.
"It was a decisive and key moment. There's a high probability that it (a penalty) would have brought us back into the game."