Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane scores their fourth objective to finish a hat-trick. Photograph: REUTERS/FILE
LONDON:
Ahead Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich celebrated their thirty fifth German title on a gripping closing day of the Bundesliga season on Saturday with a 5-1 win over Cologne.
Stuttgart secured Champions League qualification and St. Pauli and Heidenheim have been relegated elsewhere on an action-packed closing matchday.
England’s Kane scored a chic volley and a direct free-kick within the first half earlier than rounding off his fourth hat-trick of the season, ending because the league’s high scorer with 36 targets.
“That was the proper technique to finish the season,” Kane stated.
“We have to benefit from the celebrations now, as a result of it has been a protracted and arduous marketing campaign,” he added.
Mentioned El Mala scored an outstanding solo objective for Cologne, however efforts from Kane, Tom Bischof and Nicolas Jackson noticed Bayern run away with victory.
On the different finish of the desk, Wolfsburg received a dramatic, three-way battle with St. Pauli and Heidenheim to keep away from automated relegation.
The underside three all started the day on equal factors, however Wolfsburg’s pulse-racing 3-1 win over St. Pauli meant they secured the all-important relegation play-off place in sixteenth.
St. Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj stored Wolfsburg at bay with some good saves within the first half earlier than Konstantinos Koulierakis headed the guests in entrance from a nook.
Half-time substitute Abdoulie Ceesay gave St. Pauli hope with a header on 57 minutes, however tempers flared after Wolfsburg restored the lead in controversial circumstances.
Vasilj claimed he had been pushed after deflecting the ball into his personal web at a nook, however the objective was given after a nail-biting VAR verify.
Christian Eriksen missed a penalty for Wolfsburg quarter-hour from time, however Dezan Pejcinovic sealed St. Pauli’s destiny with a cool end shortly afterwards.
“That is the worst feeling that there’s in soccer, particularly as a result of we’ve got seen in the previous couple of weeks how a lot the membership means to everybody,” St. Pauli’s Hauke Wahl instructed Sky.
Wolfsburg not but protected
Wolfsburg will play one in all Hannover, Elversberg or Paderborn within the play-off later this month, whereas St. Pauli return to the second tier after two years within the Bundesliga.
Heidenheim’s three-year spell within the high flight additionally got here to an finish after their hopes of a dramatic last-day escape have been dashed by a 2-0 defeat to Mainz.
Philipp Tietz headed Mainz in entrance early on earlier than establishing Nadiem Amiri for the guests’ second simply earlier than half-time.
“It isn’t usually that you just get relegated and the followers preserve singing and waving their flags after full-time,” stated Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt.
I typically want our society would stand collectively in arduous instances in the identical means as our membership does,” he added.
Stuttgart secured Champions League qualification with a 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Targets from Chema and Nikolas Nartey put Stuttgart in management within the first half, earlier than Jonathan Burkardt rescued an inconsequential level with two late penalties for Frankfurt.
The draw stored Stuttgart above Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen, who secured Europa League qualification regardless of dropping factors on Saturday.
Leverkusen have been held 1-1 at residence to Hamburg, Jarell Quansah equalising late on after Fabio Vieira’s very good second-half strike for the guests.
Hoffenheim slumped to a bitter 4-0 defeat away to Borussia Moenchengladbach.
In the meantime, Freiburg secured seventh place and European qualification with a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig.
Freiburg will both play within the Convention League or the Champions League subsequent season, relying on whether or not they beat Aston Villa within the Europa League closing later this month.
Elsewhere, Serhou Guirassy and Yan Couto fired Borussia Dortmund to a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen, whereas Union Berlin beat Augsburg 4-0.
