Four minutes in May: few title finishes have moved the Bundesliga as much as matchday 34 on 19 May 2001. After a 5–3 win in a completely insane match against SpVgg Unterhaching, in which Schalke had been 0–2 and 2–3 down, the club believed itself German champion at the final whistle. Title rivals Bayern Munich were trailing 0–1 at HSV. Sergej Barbarez had scored for Hamburg in the 90th minute.
What followed entered league folklore. “HSV, HSV” echoed around the Parkstadion, where the gates to the infield had been opened as a precaution. “They are falling over each other,” commentator Werner Hansch shouted over Schalke’s supposed title celebrations. While incredible scenes unfolded on the turf of the old Gelsenkirchen stadium, coach Huub Stevens sent his team into the dressing room for safety. Outside, though, people noticed the match in Hamburg was still going on.
Schalke’s own stadium screen then delivered their footballing execution. Patrik Andersson scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time for Bayern to make it 1–1 at HSV and crowned Bayern champions after all. Schalke fell into the valley of tears.
Extra bitter: TV reporter Rolf “Rollo” Fuhrmann had previously passed on the false information that the game in Hamburg was over. It became the most famous fake news in Bundesliga history. Schalke’s shortest title celebration lasted exactly 4 minutes and 38 seconds.