Leverkusen Just One Win Away from Bundesliga Title after Bayern Collapse in Heidenheim

Heidenheim’s Kevin Sessa, center, celebrates their side’s first goal of the game during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and 1. FC Heidenheim at Voith-Arena stadium, in Heidenheim, Germany, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Just one more win.

Bayer Leverkusen can clinch the Bundesliga next weekend after Bayern Munich squandered a two-goal lead and lost at promoted Heidenheim 3-2 on Saturday.

A Florian Wirtz penalty was enough for Leverkusen to beat Union Berlin 1-0 away and move 16 points clear of Bayern with six rounds remaining.

Leverkusen’s ninth consecutive league win stretched its German record unbeaten run to 41 games across all competitions this season.

It just needs one more win from its remaining games to win the Bundesliga for the first time. Leverkusen next plays on April 14 and hosts Werder Bremen.

Xabi Alonso’s team would almost certainly have won the title even without Bayern’s help. But Bayern, the 11-time defending champion, is a shadow of itself after slumping to its sixth defeat. It’s Bayern’s second consecutive loss after last week’s Klassiker defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

Harry Kane’s form is the only solace in an otherwise disappointing season.

Serge Gnabry set up Kane in the 38^th for his 32^nd league goal, though the English forward faced an anxious wait to be cleared by VAR of a suspicion of offside.

Gnabry got Bayern’s second before the break with a header to Alphonso Davies’ cross, but Kevin Sessa pulled one back after it and Tim Kleindienst equalized a minute after that.

Kleindienst scored the winner in the 79^th for Heidenheim’s first ever win over Bayern, which next plays Arsenal away in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Also, Cologne scored twice in stoppage time to beat Bochum 2-1 in their relegation battle. Mainz defeated last-placed Darmstadt 4-0, and Leipzig routed Freiburg 4-1 away.

Dortmund was hosting Stuttgart later Saturday. AP

April 06, 2024