Dortmund one win from Bundesliga title as Haller double defeats Augsburg
Sébastien Haller scored twice as Borussia Dortmund beat 10-man Augsburg 3-0 on Sunday to go top of the Bundesliga and take control of the title race with one round of matches to go.
After a goalless first half in which Felix Uduokhai was sent off for the hosts, Haller broke the deadlock in the 58th minute. The forward tapped in his second goal of the afternoon late on to seal the win, before Julian Brandt completed the scoring with a stoppage-time goal.
Dortmund move two points ahead of Bayern Munich, who slumped to a 3-1 home defeat by RB Leipzig on Saturday. Edin Terzic’s side know that a home win over Mainz next Saturday will secure their first title since the 2011-12 season under Jürgen Klopp. Bayern will travel to Cologne hoping for a BVB slip-up in order to extend their run of consecutive Bundesliga titles to 10.
“This has not been the season of missed chances but the season of setbacks,” Terzic said. “It is now about taking that last step. This year we are closer than we have been for a long time. We will sleep six more times, step on the gas and hopefully get to hold the Bundesliga trophy in our hands.”
In a one-sided first half, Dortmund had 16 shots on goal to Augsburg’s one and also hit a post through Niklas Süle. The hosts needed a win to secure their top-flight status but suffered a major blow in the 38th minute, when Uduokhai brought now Donyell Malen to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Emre Can also hit the woodwork for the visitors after the restart but their nerves were eased when Haller went round Tomas Koubek and slotted in off the post to send the away fans wild. The Dortmund keeper, Gregor Kobel, then did well to stop Irvin Cardona’s shot as Augsburg sought an immediate response.
Haller, who had