Berlin (AFP)
Bayern Munich won on Saturday without playing their ninth consecutive German league title, thanks to Dortmund's victory over Leipzig (3-2) which leaves Munich with at least seven points ahead with two days remaining.
At the end of the day, Manuel Neuer and his teammates can further increase their lead by hosting Mönchengladbach (6.30 p.m. local / 4.30 p.m. GMT).
The title, the 31st in club history, is the second and last for coach Hansi Flick, who will leave his place on the bench to Julian Nagelsmann next season.
It will also be the only trophy this season for the Bavarians, eliminated in the German Cup and the Champions League.
Dortmund, the last champion team before Bayern in 2012, will probably not boast of having offered a new title to their historic rivals.
But this victory was crucial for Borussia, who can continue to hope to finish in extremis in the top 4, qualifying for the next C1.
In the absence of the injured scorer Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho scored twice (51st, 87th), after the opening of the scoring by his captain Marco Reus (7th).
For Leipzig, who answered by Lukas Klostermann (63rd) and Dani Olmo (77th), this defeat is not dramatic, since the RB remains second with four points ahead of Wolfsburg.
Dortmund and Leipzig will meet on Thursday evening in Berlin for the German Cup final (8:45 p.m. / 6:45 p.m. GMT).
- Lewandowski v Gerd Müller -
Bayern players will watch the final on TV, trying to stay focused on their last two games, in Freiburg and then at home against Augsburg.
There remains a collective challenge for them to take up: to help Robert Lewandowski to break the all-time record of 40 goals in a Bundesliga season - which everyone in Germany believed to be eternal - established in 1971-72 by the legendary Gerd Müller, under the same Bayern jersey.
The Pole had scored 35 goals in 26 Bundesliga matches, but an injury at the end of March caused him to miss four matches.
He scored again on Matchday 31, and now has only three games left to strike at least four times to tie Müller.
"Robert is totally focused and hot for this record," assured Hansi Flick, who has achieved a historic feat in eighteen months on the bench: seven titles and only eight defeats in 83 matches!
His basic men were, of course, captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, still among the best in the world despite his 34 years, and Lewandowski.
- "You're going to shut it up!"
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But in midfield, Joshua Kimmich has become at the age of 26 the centerpiece of the Bavarian squad: a very low defensive midfielder, he is both a fierce recuperator and the launching pad for the attack.
His mental ascendancy over his teammates makes him a natural boss, likely destined to become Neuer's retired captain.
Flick was also able to restore to the "old ones" the confidence lost in recent years: Thomas Müller (10 goals and 18 assists in the Bundesliga) and Jérôme Boateng in central defense were pillars of the title.
This season, Bayern has also offered one of those star bickering that has made it nicknamed "FC Hollywood".
Flick fell out publicly with sports director Hasan Salihamidzic and gave him a resounding "but you're going to shut up!"
in March on the team bus.
The same Flick then aroused the fury of his leaders by announcing himself, live on Sky at the end of a match, his intention to leave the club at the end of the season, without going to the end of his contract in 2023.
The tension has since subsided.
Flick is in talks with the German Federation to succeed Joachim Löw as manager.
And Nagelsmann is preparing to take up the torch with, as a first objective ... a tenth consecutive title in 2022.
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