04/19/26 01:12:00
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04/19 13:10 CDT Bayern Munich clinches another Bundesliga title with 4-2 win
over Stuttgart
Bayern Munich clinches another Bundesliga title with 4-2 win over Stuttgart
By CIARAN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer
Bayern Munich clinched another Bundesliga title on Sunday by easing to a 4-2
win over Stuttgart.
Harry Kane scored his league-leading 32nd goal of the season after going on as
a second-half substitute, and Bayern should have scored more against the
overwhelmed Stuttgart defense.
The win moved Bayern an unassailable 15 points clear of second-placed Borussia
Dortmund with four rounds of the German league remaining. Bayern only needed a
point to be sure of the title after Dortmund's defeat to Hoffenheim the day
before.
It's Bayern's record-extending 35th German championship including the first for
the club in 1932. Every other title came after the Bundesliga's formation in
1963.
Stuttgart's Chris Fhrich had riled the home team with the opener in the 21st
minute, but Bayern's Raphal Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson and Alphonso Davies
replied by scoring in a six-minute spell in the first half.
Spanish player Chema scored a spectacular second goal for Stuttgart in the 88th.
Restrained celebrations
Bayern's players lined up in front of the fans, but there were none of the
traditional beer showers that usually accompany league wins.
The Bundesliga is just the first in a potential treble of trophies for Bayern
this season. The Bavarian powerhouse faces Bayer Leverkusen away for their
German Cup semifinal on Wednesday, and then it has a two-legged Champions
League semifinal tie against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.
The atmosphere was muted at the start of the game. There were reports of a
clash between Bayern and Stuttgart fans before the match causing some to miss
it altogether.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany rotated his squad with eight changes to the team
that started against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, with
Manuel Neuer, Kane, Michael Olise, Dayot Upamecano and Aleksandar Pavlovic on
the bench.
Serge Gnabry was out with a thigh injury sustained in training the day before.
"Very unlucky, shooting a penalty or so," Kompany said.
The 23-year-old Jamal Musiala became the second youngest Bayern player to reach
150 Bundesliga appearances after Uli Hoene, who was 11 days younger, according
to stats provider Opta.
Musiala beat two defenders on the left before crossing for Guerreiro's tap in
in the 31st, then Luis Daz unselfishly set up Nicolas Jackson for Bayern's
second after a mistake from Finn Jeltsch left three attackers facing one
Stuttgart defender.
Alphonso Davies scored with a deflected shot four minutes later.
Kompany took Musiala and Daz off at the break for Olise and Kane.
Kane's goal -- his 51st of the season across all competitions for Bayern --
stretched the team's Bundesliga record for goals in a season to 109. The
previous record, set by Bayern's 1971-72 team featuring Franz Beckenbauer and
Gerd Mller, was 101 goals.
"It's very special," midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. "I mean, especially this
season, it's a very, very good Bundesliga season, including today's game. It's
not a given that you come here after the games against Madrid and then play a
game like this."
Other results
Two deflected shots gave Europa League semifinalist Freiburg a 2-1 win over
last-placed Heidenheim earlier.
Johan Manzambi scored with a deflected shot in the first half and Maximilian
Eggestein netted the late winner with another deflection after Budu Zivzivadze
had given the visitors hope with a brilliant strike into the top left corner in
the 59th minute.
Defeat ended Heidenheim's three-game unbeaten run and left it seven points
behind St. Pauli and the relegation playoff place with four rounds of the
league remaining. Heidenheim hosts St. Pauli next weekend.
Freiburg reached the Europa League semifinals with a 3-1 win at Celta Vigo on
Thursday. It faces Sporting Braga away in the first leg on April 30.
Borussia Mnchengladbach hosted Mainz later Sunday.
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