Coached by Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga title for the first time to end Bayern Munich's 11-year reign as champion.
In the end, it wasn't even close as Leverkusen leads second-place Bayern by 16 points after stretching its German record unbeaten run to 43 games across all competitions this season.
Florian Wirtz scored a hat trick as Leverkusen routed Werder Bremen 5-0 and the game ended with a pitch invasion Sunday to secure the club's first-ever German league title with five games remaining.
The fifth goal in the 90th brought more fans onto the field and the referee ended the game amid confusion and jubilation. Thousands of supporters crowded the field waving flags, flares and cardboard copies of the Bundesliga trophy.
Leverkusen finally shed its reputation as perennial runner-up after five second-place finishes in the league and one in the Champions League.
The title puts the spotlight firmly on an industrial city of just under 170,000, which has been overshadowed by larger, more famous neighbours.