Bayern Munich Win To Close In On Title

Bayern Munich can be guaranteed their 25th German league title after Bastian Schweinsteiger’s late goal sealed their 1-0 home win over Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
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Schweinsteiger’s 80th-minute winner leaves Bayern 15 points clear in the league table with only four games left and Pep Guardiola’s side poised to finish the weekend with a third straight Bundesliga title.
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But Munich’s champagne must wait on ice until second-placed VfL Wolfsburg play at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday, when a Wolves’ defeat or draw would remove all mathematical doubt and confirm Bayern as champions.
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After Bayern’s stunning 6-1 Champions League quarterfinal win over Porto on Tuesday, Guardiola’s side struggled to breach Hertha’s goal despite nearly 80 percent possesion.
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“The title is almost ours, but we have to concentrate on other tasks,” said Guardiola, whose team host a German Cup semifinal against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
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“After the Champions League, we played with a lot of young players.
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“We have heavy legs. You could see that today, but this is our job, we have to keep our heads clear.”
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Guardiola used the depth of his squad as teenage midfielder Gianluca Gaudino started for the second week running and fellow 18-year-old striker Sinan Kurt made his debut in the famous red shirt.
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“We’re down to the real bare bones. Every game is a surprise for us,” added the former Barcelona coach.
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Bayern finally got the breakthrough when midfielder Mitchell Weiser, who was playing out of position at left-back, beat two defenders on the right and put in a cross which found Schweinsteiger unmarked to fire home.
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With the title effectively in the bag, Bayern are poised to take the first step towards repeating their 2013 treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup.