Borussia Dortmund are on the brink of securing their first Bundesliga title in ten years, following an impressive 3-0 victory against Augsburg on Sunday. Sebastien Haller played a pivotal role in the win, netting two second-half goals.
With just one match remaining, Dortmund find themselves two points ahead of their fierce rivals, Bayern Munich.
Bayern suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of RB Leipzig on Saturday, further boosting Dortmund’s title hopes.
To clinch the Bundesliga shield for the first time since the 2011-12 season, Dortmund now need to outperform Bayern in their upcoming home match against Mainz.
Despite Augsburg being reduced to ten men late in the first half, the game remained goalless until the 58th minute when Haller capitalized on a rebound to open the scoring.
Haller, who triumphed over testicular cancer earlier in the season, sealed the victory with another goal six minutes before the final whistle, prompting ecstatic celebrations from the visiting fans. Julian Brandt added a goal in injury time to complete Dortmund’s commanding win.
Dortmund entered the game fully aware that a victory would put them in control of the title race. Their away form had been lackluster since February, but they dominated the first half without finding a breakthrough.
Haller came close, forcing a fingertip save from Augsburg goalkeeper Tomas Koubek. Julian Brandt also had an opportunity to score but blasted his shot directly at Koubek when one-on-one.
Shortly before halftime, Augsburg’s Felix Uduokhai received a red card for a foul on Donyell Malen just outside the penalty box. Despite being a man down, Augsburg fought valiantly in the hope of salvaging a point.
Finally, Haller broke the deadlock by collecting a rebound off Koubek and expertly placing the ball into the far corner.
With just over five minutes remaining, Haller struck again, capitalizing on a rebounded shot from Marco Reus to extend Dortmund’s lead to 2-0. The visiting fans erupted in jubilation, chanting “German champions, only Dortmund.”
In the closing moments of the game, Dortmund captain Mats Hummels had to leave the field after suffering a boot to the face.
He was replaced by Nico Schlotterbeck, who contributed to Dortmund’s third goal by setting up Julian Brandt.
In an earlier match, Stuttgart boosted their chances of avoiding relegation with a resounding 4-1 away victory against Mainz.
Substitute Chris Fuehrich played a crucial role, providing a goal and two assists. His impact turned the tide in Stuttgart’s favor, with Serhou Guirassy scoring shortly after Fuehrich’s introduction.
Fuehrich then added a goal of his own before setting up Tanguy Coulibaly in injury time, securing a vital win that lifted Stuttgart out of the relegation zone.