Heading into the finale a point behind the leaders, Schalke's 2-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld proved in vain as Stuttgart matched that result against Energie Cottbus to pip their rivals to the championship.

And Schalke's players were left to reflect on what could have been after slipping from the top of the table after several weeks as pace-setters.

"We just had too many games where we left a point here or there," said midfielder Fabian Ernst after the win over Bielefeld,

"It's never easy to become champion. But you have to use every chance you have."

"Of course it would have been great to have won the title," added striker Kevin Kuranyi. "But maybe we still have more to learn."

The failure for Schalke to collect their first Bundesliga title since its inception in 1963 was particularly tough on Gerald Asamoah.

The Germany striker is the only player who was also at the Gelsenkirchen club in 2001, when a Patrik Andersson free-kick four minutes into injury time gave Bayern a 1-1 draw at Hamburg and the 2001 Bundesliga crown.

Schalke, who were three points behind Bayern on the final day but had the better goal difference, had won 5-3 at home against Unterhaching after trailing 2-0.

The players and fans watched the live feed of the Bayern game and began their celebrations when Sergej Barbarez made it 1-0 for Hamburg in the 90th minute.

But those celebrations came to a sudden halt minutes later with Andersson's goal.

"Whoever experienced that unbelievable moment back then knows what is possible in football - that the title can switch hands even in the absolute last second," said Asamoah.

"Bayern came up with a miracle."

Fast forward six years and Schalke went 2-0 up after 16 minutes against Bielefeld following goals from Lincoln and Halil Altintop.

And they topped the standings for nine minutes when Stuttgart fell behind in their match against Cottbus before turning the result around and taking the title.

"At least it's better than four minutes," said Schalke coach Mirko Slomka, referring back to 2001.

"On the one hand, I'm happy we were able to give our fans the joy of knowing we were on top for some time.

"But of course it's disappointing. We had the information that Stuttgart were ahead 2-1 and kind of lost some of our energy. But with eight straight victories, you have to give Stuttgart a lot of credit."

Slomka pointed to back-to-back home defeats against Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg in late February-early March as a possible turning point in their season.

And the 2-2 draw in Wolfsburg on February 17 also brought back painful memories with Marcelinho grabbing an 89th-minute equaliser for the Wolves.

"I knew that we had lost two points which could be very important in the end. And those are bitter moments," Slomka said.

"You just have to go full speed ahead 100% of the time and can't give up any points.

"Of course, we're disappointed about finishing in second. But we are happy about qualifying directly for the Champions League."