Bundesliga Wrap: Bayern win title, Schalke play out draw at Dortmund

Bayern Munich sealed their 24th German title in stylish fashion with a comfortable 3-1 win at Hertha Berlin on Tuesday.

The Bavarian giants became the first Bundesliga club to win the title in March, defending their title with a record seven matches to spare thanks to goals from Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze and Franck Ribery.

Kroos and Gotze struck within the first 15 minutes, setting the tone in a match that Bayern controlled, and although Adrian Ramos scored a second-half penalty for Hertha, Ribery wrapped up his side’s win with a delightful chip from a tight angle 11 minutes from time.

Bayern now boast a 25-point lead over nearest challengers Borussia Dortmund, who were held to a goalless draw by third-placed Schalke.

Having won the league by 25 points under Jupp Heynckes last term, the champions will now aim to triumph by an even greater margin and their evolution under Pep Guardiola was evident in the German capital.

A fluid start from Bayern saw Kroos stroke home from 12 yards following a deflected cross from Thomas Muller and Gotze then converted Bastian Schweinsteiger’s right-wing delivery with a neat header.

Ramos converted a 66th-minute penalty with a cheeky chip to bring Hertha back into the contest, but Bayern restored their two-goal advantage when a fine run from Gotze set up Ribery to finish superbly.

The Revierderby at Signal Iduna Park was much less eventful as Bayern’s two closest rivals in terms of league position failed to score.

Dortmund dominated for large spells, but saw the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all denied by Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann.

Schalke remain a point behind Dortmund, with the battle for second now set to take centre stage after Bayern confirmed their title glory.

At the wrong end of the table, rock-bottom Eintracht Braunschweig boosted their chances of survival with their fifth win of the season as they upset Mainz 3-1.

Mainz, who are chasing a European spot, were rocked by Dominick Kumbela’s 18th-minute opener but Nicolai Muller produced a quick response.

Havard Nelsen’s goal on the stroke of half-time changed the complexion of the game, though, and Braunschweig wrapped up a rare win with Kumbela’s outrageous overhead kick 13 minutes from time.

Braunschweig are now two points behind Hamburg, who occupy the relegation play-off spot.

Tuesday’s other match saw Wolfsburg climb to fifth with a 3-1 win at Werder Bremen.