MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -Bayern Munich eased past title rivals Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on Saturday to secure their 10th consecutive Bundesliga crown in front of a sold-out home crowd and with three games to spare.
First-half goals from Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski put the hosts 2-0 up before Emre Can cut the deficit with a 52nd-minute penalty. Jamal Musiala got Bayern’s third goal seven minutes from the end
Bayern, 12 points clear of second-placed Dortmund, have now won 31 Bundesliga titles since the introduction of the top division in 1963, and 32 German league crowns in all, while Thomas Mueller became the first player to win 11 league titles.
“Just for these moments… this is the best,” Mueller said. “We really wanted to win it here. There was a lot of frustration in the past days and we could play it off today.”
Bayern were desperate to seal the title — their only silverware of the season — in the league’s big game in front of a 75,000-strong home crowd to make up for their Champions League quarter-final shock exit to Villarreal earlier this month.
“This is not boring,” Mueller said of Bayern’s domestic dominance. “This is outstanding. The more you win the greedier you get every year.”
They took their first chance through Gnabry, who controlled the ball at the edge of the box with one touch and released a fierce volley past keeper Marwin Hitz, left frozen on the spot.
Gnabry put the ball in the net again on the half-hour mark but his effort was ruled offside. League top scorer Lewandowski did better in the 34th when Gnabry gained possession and Mueller fed the Pole who slotted in through the legs of Hitz for his 33rd league goal.
Lewandowski, whose future at the club is in doubt with a contract extension past his current 2023 deal still to be finalised, is on track to be the Bundesliga top scorer for a seventh time and the fifth straight time.
Dortmund were awarded a penalty at the start of the second half when Marco Reus was felled by Joshua Kimmich and Can converted it. The visitors kept up the pressure but failed to score again despite efforts from Reus and Erling Haaland.
Instead it was Bayern who scored through substitute Musiala to make sure of the title as the champagne came out in the box seats for the Bayern club bosses and coach Julian Nagelsmann celebrated his first league crown.
Dortmund are on 63 points with third-placed Bayer Leverkusen on 55.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann;Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Clare Fallon)
