Bayern Munich 3-1 Freiburg: Another game, another step toward laying hands on the ‘Meisterschale’ for the 2019/20 Bundesliga champions

Bayern Munich continued their festivities with a dominant 3-1 win over Freiburg on Saturday.

The Bavarians confirmed a first-place finish in the Bundesliga this season with a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen last time out but showed no signs of taking their foot off the gas as a smart Joshua Kimmich effort put Hansi Flick’s side ahead after just 15 minutes.

Robert Lewandowski was the creator for that goal, holding the ball up before laying it off for Kimmich. Just nine minutes later, he found the net himself, heading home after Leon Goretzka’s effort was initially saved by Freiburg stopper Sven Ulreich.

Lucas Holer pulled a goal back for Freiburg in the 33rd minute but it took just another four minutes for Lewandowski to strike again, effectively sealing the points for Bayern. The Poland international is the first non-German to score more than 31 Bundesliga goals in a single season.

Robert Lewandowski has been directly involved in more league goals (37) than any other player in Europe's top five divisions this season:

❍ 30 games
❍ 33 goals
❍ 4 assists

His best-ever Bundesliga season. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XNzJbWqY5g

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 20, 2020

When will Bayern lift the Bundesliga trophy?

When the Bundesliga returned to action in May, it did so under a strict set of rules to ensure players worked in the safest possible environment.

To help mitigate against any future suspension of the league, according to AFP, the DFL said the champions and relegated sides wouldn’t officially be declared until the final round of matches was played, just in case the standings needed to be reviewed in the event of another interruption.

It explains why Bayern did not lift the ‘Meisterschale’ at the Allianz Arena after their fixture with Freiburg, despite their status as champions being confirmed with the 1-0 win over Werder Bremen earlier in the week.

So instead the Bavarians will lift the trophy and celebrate their eighth consecutive title win after their away fixture with Wolfsburg next week, in a presentation performed by DFL managing director Christian Eifert by on the final matchday of the 2019/20 Bundesliga season.

Rules state that no more than 100 people can enter the “interior zone” of the stadium, meaning Bayern officials and board members will be unable to join the team’s celebrations on the pitch, while supporters and family members are still not allowed to enter the stadium at all.

Also in keeping with the rules, the Bayern players will also have to observe hygiene and social distancing measures when they receive the trophy, meaning an understated ceremony can be expected.

The traditional beer showering won’t take place this time around, while Munich mayor Dieter Reiter confirmed in advance that the customary trophy presentation at the town hall had been cancelled.

“Respecting this tradition is unfortunately unthinkable,” he said.