Bayer Leverkusen edged past Augsburg 2-1 to become the first team in the history of the Bundesliga to complete a full season without a loss.
Xabi Alonso’s treble-chasing side also stretched their European record unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 51 matches in a perfect dress rehearsal for Wednesday’s Europa League final against Atalanta.
Leverkusen got off to a strong start with Victor Boniface intercepting a ball from Augsburg goalkeeper Tomas Koubek to tap in for the lead in the 12th minute. Robert Andrich doubled the advantage from close range in the 27th but Augsburg came out fighting after the break and cut the deficit through Mert Kömür just past the hour.
Both teams had their share of chances but it was always going to be Leverkusen’s day, with fans hoping their first ever Bundesliga title will be the first of three trophies with a German Cup final against Kaiserslautern next weekend.
Leverkusen finished on 90 points with 28 wins and six draws, 17 points ahead of second-placed Stuttgart, who were 4-0 winners over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Bayern Munich squandered a two-goal lead to slump to a 4-2 loss at Hoffenheim, courtesy of an Andrej Kramaric hat-trick, to end a disappointing season in third place as coach Thomas Tuchel bowed out.
Early goals from Mathys Tel and Alphonso Davies put the injury-depleted Bavarians – missing Harry Kane as well as Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sané – 2-0 up after six minutes.
Hoffenheim pulled a goal back through Maximilian Beier two minutes later before Kramaric delivered a stunning 19-minute hat-trick.
At the other end of the table Cologne were relegated, joining Darmstadt, following a 4-1 defeat at Heidenheim. Bochum will go into a relegation playoff.
Atalanta secured a Champions League spot with a 2-0 win at Lecce in the penultimate round of Serie A matches. The Bergamo side are in fifth place and moved six points ahead of Roma, with Atalanta holding a tie-breaker edge over the Giallorossi after beating Roma last weekend. Italy have at least five teams in next season’s Champions League and could earn a sixth if Atalanta defeat Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.
Charles De Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca scored five minutes apart shortly after half-time. Scamacca set up De Ketelaere and then headed in the second. “Tomorrow we’ll start thinking about that. For tonight, we want to enjoy this,” Scamacca said when asked about facing Leverkusen. The striker is in a rich vein of form. He now has 18 goals and seven assists across all competitions this season.
From Agency Reports
