Leverkusen Just One Win Away From Bundesliga Title After Bayern Collapse In Heidenheim – News18

BERLIN: Just one more win.

Bayer Leverkusen can clinch the Bundesliga next weekend after Bayern Munich squandered a two-goal lead and lost at promoted Heidenheim 3-2 on Saturday.

A Florian Wirtz penalty was enough for Leverkusen to beat Union Berlin 1-0 away and move 16 points clear of Bayern with six rounds remaining.

Leverkusen’s ninth consecutive league win stretched its German record unbeaten run to 41 games across all competitions this season.

It just needs one more win from its remaining games to win the Bundesliga for the first time. Leverkusen next hosts Werder Bremen in the league on April 14. Leverkusen first hosts West Ham in the Europa League on Thursday.

“Nothing is decided. We wait a little,” Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said. “We’ll stay focused, concentrate on Thursday, then maybe we’ll have something to celebrate on Sunday.”

Alonso’s team would almost certainly have won the title even without Bayern’s help. He acknowledged he was surprised Leverkusen could wrap up the title already in the second week of April.

“I had planned on it a bit later,” Alonso joked.

But Bayern, the 11-time defending champion, is a shadow of itself after slumping to its sixth defeat. It’s Bayern’s second consecutive loss after last week’s Klassiker defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

Harry Kane’s form is the only solace in an otherwise disappointing season.

Serge Gnabry set up Kane in the 38th for his 32nd league goal, then got Bayern’s second before the break with a header to Alphonso Davies’ cross.

But Kevin Sessa pulled one back after it and Tim Kleindienst equalized a minute after that. Kleindienst scored the winner in the 79th for Heidenheim’s first ever win over Bayern, which next plays Arsenal away in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Also, Cologne scored twice in stoppage time to beat Bochum 2-1 in their relegation battle. Mainz defeated last-placed Darmstadt 4-0, and Leipzig routed Freiburg 4-1 away.

Dortmund was hosting Stuttgart later Saturday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)