Matchday 34: Team of the Week
The curtain came down on the 54th Bundesliga campaign on Saturday, but Matchday 34 of the 2016/17 season is certain to live long in the memory.
Goalkeeper
Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso made their final appearances for Bayern Munich, but did either of them make it into our Team of the Week? Read on to find out...
Hamburg might have been worried when experienced goalkeeper Rene Adler broke his ribs at the start of April and was eventually ruled out for the rest of the season. But Mathenia has proven an able replacement – no more so than in the crucial 2-1 win over Wolfsburg that saw his side avoid the relegation play-off. The 25-year-old kept Mario Gomez and Jakub Blaszczykowski at bay before the visitors eventually took the lead. But with the score at 1-1, Gomez – among others – could not find a way past the brilliant Hamburg keeper.
Defenders
The Germany international picked the perfect time to get his first goal of the season – and first since April 2015. The 26-year-old fired home the opening goal in the Billy Goats’ 2-0 victory over Mainz, a result which saw the home team climb to fifth and end their long wait for a return to European competition.
Andreas Christensen (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
The 21-year-old Danish international gets in before returning to Chelsea for next season. He completed 91 passes in Gladbach’s 2-2 draw against Darmstadt – more than any other player – giving the home support plenty of time to reflect on what he has brought to the club during a two-year loan spell. Christensen was a consistent, clean-tackling performer in over 60 Bundesliga games for the Foals and also earned valuable experience in the Champions League and Europa League.
Along with Alonso – the other Bayern man bidding farewell to football as a player – the champions’ skipper had more touches than anyone else in his final game before retirement. Lahm also sent over seven crosses in Bayern’s 4-1 win over Freiburg, which also happened to be the 250th Bundesliga match he won during his career.
Watch: See Lahm's emotional farewell speech at Marienplatz
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Midfielders
The Serbian international produced when it mattered as Hamburg escaped from the bottom three on the final day. With the home side in trouble, Kostic levelled the match by volleying home on 32 minutes. He always looked the most likely Hamburg player to create something after that as well and so it proved as he whipped over the cross for the vital winning goal.
Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)
Reus continued his fine late-season form with a brace as Dortmund secured third place with a 4-3 success against Werder Bremen. He could have had a hat-trick but chose to let his good friend Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang take the home side’s second penalty despite having scored one himself earlier in the game.
Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen)
The 17-year-old continues to impress and scored an eye-catching double in Bayer Leverkusen’s 6-2 demolition of Hertha Berlin. He played a neat-one two before slotting home from the edge of the box for the visitors’ second goal and then made a clever run to make it 3-0 before the break. Just think how good Havertz could become when he does not have to worry about school exams.
Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)
The devastating Dutch winger curled home a trademark opener for Bayern against Freiburg – his 13th goal of the campaign. As well as peppering 10 more shots towards the visiting net, Robben then set up two more goals for the home side as the champions finished the season in style.
Watch: Rookie of the Month candidate: Kai Havertz
Forwards
The Japan international tormented Mainz with an energetic performance, setting up Hector’s opening strike before netting a delicious second himself. The 27-year-old ended the campaign with six goals and seven assists and will now get the chance to play Europa League football with Cologne next season.
Waldschmidt celebrated his 21st birthday weekend in one of the most spectacular ways imaginable – getting his name on the scoresheet in the Bundesliga for the first time to save his club from relegation. He may only have been on the field for less than 10 minutes but his 88th-minute header will have a lasting impact for Hamburg.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund)
Robert Lewandowski led the way going into the final day but in the end Aubameyang finished as the league’s top goalscorer thanks to his double against Bremen. His well-taken volley put Dortmund 2-1 up before he passed Lewandowski’s tally for the season with a late penalty. The Gabon international’s 31-goal haul was a personal best and also equalled the club’s single season record.
Watch: Aubameyang thrilled after finishing as top scorer