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Bayern Munich secure eighth successive Bundesliga title with win at Werder Bremen

Robert Lewandowski scored his 31st Bundesliga goal of the season as Bayern Munich claimed their eighth successive Bundesliga title and 29th overall with victory away to relegation-threatened Werder Bremen, despite having Alphonso Davies sent off.

 

Title rivals of yesteryear, Bremen and Bayern went into the contest poles apart in the pre-Matchday 32 standings. Bremen knew a positive result would lift them out of the automatic drop zone into the relegation play-off spot, while Bayern needed a win to keep the title in Munich for another season. Werder fired off the first shot of note when Maximilian Eggestein fizzed an effort wide from range, before Jerome Boateng chanced his arm with a fierce strike that Jiri Pavlenka did well to hold onto in sopping conditions. Boateng turned provider late in a tight first half with an intuitive chipped pass into the box for Lewandowski. The Poland striker controlled with his chest and shot past Pavlenka on the stretch as Bayern, following a quick VAR review, went in at the break 1-0 to the good.

Nerves settled, Bayern went up a gear as Thomas Müller and Leon Goretzka threatened a second within moments of the restart. Bremen's backline did just enough to ward off the danger, but the Green-Whites were indebted to the linesman's offside flag in the 55th minute when Lewandowski turned in Joshua Kimmich's cross, only for the goal to be ruled out for an offside decision against Müller in the build-up. Werder were sailing far too close to the wind for comfort as Lewandowski failed to make contact with Müller's come-and-get-me ball into the six-yard box, but were given a lifeline when Davies was sent off for a second yellow card. The hosts threw everything at Bayern in the closing stages - including Josh Sargent and Claudio Pizarro - and might have got something from the game but for Manuel Neuer's flying save to deny Yuya Osako's flicked header. The result leaves Bremen second from bottom on goal difference, while champions Bayern have an unassailable 10-point lead at the summit with two games to spare.

Match stats

  • Bayern have won 30 German league titles, including 29 in the Bundesliga era. Eleven of their last 13 have been claimed away from their Allianz Arena.
  • Lewandowski is only the second non-German player after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2016/17) to score 31 single-season goals. The Pole has opened the scoring for Bayern 11 times this season.
  • David Alaba broke the record for most Bundesliga appearances by an Austrian (265), overtaking Andreas Herzog.
  • Davies was sent off for the first time in his professional career.
  • Bremen's Sebastian Langkamp played alongside Müller in the Bayern U19s.
  • Bremen are the league's third-lowest scorers (35) and have the second leakiest defence (65).
  • Pizarro - who scored 87 times in 224 league games with Bayern across two spells at the club, winning six Bundesliga titles as well as the 2013 UEFA Champions League - made his 488th Bundesliga appearance.

Line-ups

Bremen: Pavlenka - Gebre Selassie, Veljkovic (Pizarro 88'), Moisander (c), Friedl - M. Eggestein, Vogt (Langkamp 46'), Klaassen (Füllkrug 84') - Bittencourt (Sargent 62'), Osako, Rashica (Bartels 62')
Unused subs: Kapino, Selke, Groß, Bargfrede
Out: Möhwald (knee), Sahin (hip), Toprak (ankle)
Coach: Florian Kohfeldt 

Bayern: Neuer (c) - Pavard, Boateng, Alaba, Davies - Kimmich, Goretzka - Gnabry (Hernandez 81'), Müller, Coman - Lewandowski
Unused subs: Ulreich, Odriozola, Cuisance, Singh, Batista Meier, Zirkzee, Wriedt, Richards
Out: Arp (knock), Tolisso (ankle), Coutinho (ankle), Mai (ankle), Martinez (stomach bug), Süle (match fitness), Thiago (groin)
Coach: Hansi Flick

Source: Bundesliga