Bayern title hat-trick confirmed

Posted Monday, April 27, 2015 by Foxsports.com

Bayern Munich were crowned Bundesliga champions for the third year running without even kicking a ball on Sunday as their nearest rivals Wolfsburg went down to a 1-0 defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Needing to win to keep the title race alive - at least mathematically - for another week, Wolfsburg rarely looked like succeeding as they were second best at the Borussia Park Stadion.

They resisted until the last minute of the game, though, when Max Kruse struck to earn the Foals a win which moves them up to third and secures their place in the Champions League next season.

The result means Bayern, who beat Hertha Berlin 1-0 on Saturday to go 15 points clear, have taken the title for a record 25th time, while Pep Guardiola has his 19th major honour as a coach and fifth league title. Bayern have secured the title with four matches to spare.

However, the Champions League semi-finalists will have to wait to celebrate it with their fans as they travel to Bayer Leverkusen next week before hosting Augsburg on May 9th.

"Retaining the title is a magnificent achievement. All credit to the coach and the team," Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on the club's website.

"They've been fantastic throughout, in a season following a World Cup where we had a host of players in action."

In Sunday's other match, Paderborn wasted an opportunity to move out of the relegation zone as they threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home with Werder Bremen.

Mario Vrancic and Moritz Stoppelkamp grabbed two goals in as many minutes to put the East Westphalians in front, but Davie Selke brought Bremen back into the game on the stroke of half-time.

Izet Hajrovic levelled in the 75th minute while Paderborn were reduced to 10 men three minutes later when Michael Heinloth was sent off, compounding their woes and leaving them inside the bottom three.