Bayern Munich demolish Wolfsburg 4-0 to end season on high
Berlin, June 28
Bayern Munich, already crowned Bundesliga champions last week, lifted the league trophy in an empty stadium on Saturday after crushing hosts VfL Wolfsburg 4-0 on the final matchday.
The Bavarians, who have matched a club record of 25 matches in all competitions without defeat and are unbeaten in the Bundesliga in 2020, went ahead in the fourth minute with Kingsley Coman netting from Thomas Mueller’s 21st assist, a league record.
Mickael Cuisance then rifled in from 25 metres for a sensational goal in the 37th and the 20-year-old Frenchman earned a penalty, which resulted in Joshua Guilavogui being sent off with a second booking. Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski converted it for his 34th goal of the season.
The Polish striker earned his fifth Bundesliga top scorer award and his third in a row. Mueller then made it 4-0 in the 79th minute as Bayern took their season goal tally to 100, one less than the league record set by them in the 1971-72 season.
“I am just proud of the way we have presented ourselves in the past months,” said coach Hansi Flick, who took over as interim coach in November. Flick has since signed a deal to 2023.
“Obviously we were relieved to resume play after the coroanvirus break. So in a way it is a special league title for us,” he said of his first title in his debut season as head coach in the Bundesliga.
For Wolfsburg the defeat denied them a direct Europa League group stage spot, leaving them in seventh place.
The bizarre trophy ceremony in the empty Wolfsburg stadium was a reflection of the season that was interrupted for more than two months in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With no families, fans or friends in the stands to share their joy, the Bayern players were left to celebrate lifting the sparkling trophy with a handful of club bosses in the stands.
Bayern can win more silverware next week with the German Cup final against Bayer Leverkusen. They are also still in the Champions League.
“It is a special but strange moment,” said German football League CEO Christian Seifert in an address before the trophy ceremony.
“We have never experienced a season ending in such a way, no fans, no whistles, no cheers.
“It is not the Bundesliga we want but the only Bundesliga that could be played under the circumstances. This championship title belongs a bit to all of us to have played the season out and it ends with a sporting champion.”
Kramaric scores all four as Hoffenheim stun Borussia Dortmund
Andrej Kramaric became the first Hoffenheim player to score four goals in a Bundesliga game, overwhelming Borussia Dortmund with a one-sided 4-0 away victory on Saturday.
The Croatian striker, his club’s top scorer this season, took his campaign tally to 13 as Europa League-bound Hoffenheim moved above VfL Wolfsburg to finish in fifth place on 52 points.
Dortmund were already confirmed as runners-up to Bayern Munich, but after this embarrassing home defeat finished 13 points adrift of the champions.
Dortmund did threaten early when Norwegian teenager Erling Haaland forced a full stretch save out of visiting goalkeeper Oliver Baumann in the fifth minute.
But after that it was 29-year-old Kramaric who dominated the game.
He opened the scoring after eight minutes after good build up, picking his spot and curling the ball home from just outside the penalty area.
On the half hour mark the former Leicester City forward doubled his tally after beating the offside trap to slot home from close range.
After the break, Kramaric was given far too much room by a sleepy Dortmund defence to complete his hat-trick in the 48th minute.
When home defender Mats Hummels pushed Moanes Dabbur in the penalty area two minutes later, Kramaric stepped up to slot the ball home under the body of Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki to seal a dominant performance.
“I dreamt about the possibility of a penalty before the game but, to be honest, my penalty was not all that well taken. I had decided before that if I got a penalty it would be a no-look effort and I got a bit lucky,” he said of the effort that just crept under Burki’s body.
“It’s really amazing stuff and feeling to score four goals in this stadium to win this game and to get direct qualification into the Europa League,” Kramaric added.
“Things like this do not happen often in a player’s career.”
Werner bids Leipzig farewell with double in victory over Augsburg
German striker Timo Werner marked his RB Leipzig swansong with two well-taken goals to guide his side to a 2-1 victory at Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Leipzig full back Nordi Mukiele and midfielder Emil Forsberg spurned glorious opportunities before Werner, who will depart for Chelsea at the end of the season, put his side in front in the 28th minute.
The 24-year-old latched on to a defence-splitting pass from Amadou Haidara before rounding Augsburg goalkeeper Tomas Koubek for his 27th league goal of the season.
Augsburg, who had a red card for Philipp Max overturned by VAR in the second half, hit back through Ruben Vargas, whose long-range effort proved too powerful for Yvon Mvogo to keep out.
Werner added a second eight minutes from time, latching on to Angelino’s cross-field pass and firing into the bottom corner.
“Firstly, it makes me really happy that we won our last game of the season,” said Werner, who will leave Leipzig as their all-time top scorer with 95 goals.
“The fact that I am the record goalscorer makes me really proud. I will miss the club and the city.” The result means Leipzig end the season in third place with 66 points, one shy of their record Bundesliga tally achieved in 2016-17, while Augsburg finish in 15th with 36 points, five clear of the relegation zone.
“We played well overall. We were more energetic and better than in recent weeks. So it’s a deserved win and an important third-place finish,” Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann said.
“It feels really good to be in the Champions League, especially after such a long season.”
Gladbach book last Champions League spot with 2-1 win
Borussia Moenchengladbach capped a successful season by booking a spot in the Champions League, beating Hertha Berlin 2-1 on the final day to finish fourth in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Jonas Hofmann tapped in after good work from Breel Embolo as Gladbach controlled the game throughout. By the 65th minute they had 17 shots compared to Hertha’s one.
The hosts also hit the woodwork twice before Embolo turned scorer from a Hofmann assist after he shook off two markers in the 78th.
Vedad Ibisevic cut the deficit in stoppage time but could not stop Marco Rose’s team from earning their third straight league win and booking their ticket for the hugely lucrative Champions League group stage for the first time since 2016.
“We are already looking forward to hearing the (Champions League) anthem, hopefully soon with fans again,” said Gladbach defender Christoph Kramer.
Clubs are desperate for major cash injections through qualification for Europe’s premier club competition after a sharp drop in revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic that shut the Bundesliga for more than two months. All games are currently being played without fans.
Gladbach, who had leapfrogged Bayer Leverkusen into fourth place last week, finished on 65 points, two ahead of Leverkusen.
The top four teams qualify automatically for the Champions League group stage.
Fortuna Duesseldorf relegated after final-day defeat, Bremen into playoff
Fortuna Duesseldorf’s poor away form came back to haunt them as they were relegated from the Bundesliga on Saturday after a final-day 3-0 defeat at in-form Union Berlin.
Uwe Rosler’s side went into the match knowing victory would guarantee finishing third from bottom and securing the side a relegation playoff against the third team in the second-tier.
Even a draw would have been enough as long as Werder Bremen did not beat Cologne by four clear goals.
But Duesseldorf’s day turned into a nightmare.
Union, who had already guaranteed their safety in an impressive first season in the Bundesliga, took the lead when visiting keeper Florian Kastenmeier could not prevent Anthony Ujah’s shot crossing the line after 26 minutes.
When Christian Gentner made it 2-0 shortly after halftime and news filtered through that Werder were 5-0 ahead, Duesseldorf’s plight became desperate.
They threw bodies forward and created several chances but it was too little too late. When Union’s substitute Suleiman Abdullah scored a third in stoppage time, Duesseldorf knew they would be returning to the second tier after only two seasons.
Werder Bremen ended up winning 6-1 to finish third from bottom with 31 points, while Duesseldorf ended on 30 and are automatically relegated along with SC Paderborn.
Duesseldorf won only two of their 17 away games this season and had the worst away record of all 18 clubs.
Four-time German champions Werder Bremen, ever-present bar one season since the Bundesliga began in 1963, will face arch-rivals Hamburg or Heidenheim in a home-and-away playoff in a bid to avoid their first relegation from the top flight since 1980. — Reuters
