Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday became the first team in Bundesliga history to go through an entire season unbeaten after a 2-1 home win against Augsburg extended their undefeated streak in all competitions to 51 games.
Crowned Bundesliga champions for the first time in April, goals from Victor Boniface and Robert Andrich put Leverkusen — who play the Europa League final against Atalanta and the German Cup final this week — on course for victory.
Elsewhere, Leverkusen’s rivals Cologne were relegated after a 4-1 loss at Heidenheim.
Union Berlin scored in stoppage time against Freiburg to win 2-1 and beat the drop, leapfrogging Bochum who will play a two-legged relegation play-off against second-division Fortuna Duesseldorf after losing 4-1 at Werder Bremen.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen took the lead after 12 minutes when Amine Adli forced Augsburg goalkeeper Tomas Koubek into an error, winning possession before squaring for Boniface to tap in from close range.
Midfield star Andrich doubled Leverkusen’s lead, backheeling in a rebound after 27 minutes.
Augsburg teenager Mert Komor pulled one back on his first start for the visitors with a stunning strike on the 62nd-minute mark, but Leverkusen held on to win ahead of what could be an historic week.
At the other end of the table, Union — who were playing Champions League against the likes of Real Madrid as recently as December — were locked 1-1 at home to Freiburg in stoppage time and headed for a relegation playoff clash with Duesseldorf.
Union had been reduced to 10 men when Michael Gspurning was red carded with four minutes remaining but won a penalty just into stoppage time.
Kevin Volland missed the spotkick but Janik Haberer was there to turn in the rebound and save Berlin.
Bochum, who looked to have secured top-division football with a 4-3 win at Union Berlin two weeks ago, will now need to beat Duesseldorf in a home and away playoff.
The loser of that playoff will play second division foorball with Cologne as well as Darmstadt who were relegated earlier in the season.
Serhou Guirassy scored a brace as Stuttgart won 4-0 at home against Borussia Moenchengladbach, leapfrogging Bayern Munich, who lost 4-2 to a Andrej Kramaric-inspired Hoffenheim, into second spot.
Without the injured Harry Kane, Bayern were 2-0 up after just six minutes thanks to goals from Mathys Tel and Alphonso Davies.
Maximilian Beier, selected as part of Germany’s Euros squad on Thursday, cut the deficit two minutes later, capitalising on a Manuel Neuer error to make it 2-1.
Kramaric then scored three goals in 20 minutes to turn the match on its head. Bayern finished outside the top two for the first time since 2010-11.
Borussia Dortmund veteran Marco Reus signed off in impressive style in his last home match, scoring a goal and laying on another in a 4-0 win over Darmstadt.
In Dortmund’s last competitive outing before June’s Champions League final clash with Real Madrid at Wembley, Reus set up Ian Maatsen for the opener after 30 minutes, then added one of his own from a free kick eight minutes later.
Julian Brandt and Donyell Malen added second-half goals to seal the win.
Eintracht Frankfurt came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at home with RB Leipzig, while Mainz came from behind to win 3-1 at Wolfsburg.
Numbers behind Leverkusen’s unbeaten run
0: Bayer Leverkusen did not lose once in the Bundesliga this season.
1: Bayer Leverkusen are the first team in German football history to go through a Bundesliga season unbeaten.
51: Bayer Leverkusen are yet to lose in 51 matches in all competitions this season. The run includes 34 Bundesliga games, 12 Europa League matches and five in the German Cup.
1: Bundesliga titles in Bayer Leverkusen’s 120-year history.
2: Bayer Leverkusen won just two titles before this season — the 1988 Europa League and the 1993 German Cup.
3: With the Bundesliga wrapped up in April, Bayer Leverkusen could win a total of three trophies this season. Xabi Alonso’s side face Atalanta in the Europa League final on Wednesday and Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final on Saturday.
5: Bayer Leverkusen have finished second five times in the league.
15: Bayer Leverkusen have scored 15 goals after the 90-minute mark in all competitions this year. If counting from the 80-minute mark, the tally rises to 33.
59: Bayer Leverkusen’s 49th match unbeaten, which came in the Europa League semi-finals with a stoppage time equaliser against Roma, broke a 59-year UEFA record set by Benfica from 1963 to 1965.
90: Bayer Leverkusen’s points tally this season — the equal second-best in Bundesliga history behind Bayern Munich 2012-13 (91).
3: Star Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz won the Bundesliga Player of the Month award three times this season, in October, December and February. Alex Grimaldo in April and Victor Boniface in August were Leverkusen’s other winners.
3: Three players have hit double figures of goals in the league this season: Victor Boniface (14), Florian Wirtz (11) and Alex Grimaldo (10).
13: Alex Grimaldo has 13 assists, the highest in the league, while Florian Wirtz has 11.
33: Bayer Leverkusen have scored in 33 of their 34 games, only drawing a blank in a 0-0 home draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach.
AFP