Borussia Dortmund sealed their Champions League ticket on the ultimate day with a 3-0 victory over already-relegated Holstein Kiel – capping a six-win surge in seven matches that rocketed them from eleventh to fourth below new boss Niko Kovac.
Seven weeks in the past, Dortmund have been sinking.
But Kovac, who stepped in after Nuri Şahin’s exit in February, sparked a late-season revival that culminated in a top-four end and a spot amongst Europe’s elite.
Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring from the spot within the third minute, turning into the primary Dortmund participant to web 21 targets in his debut season.
Kiel’s Carl Johansson noticed pink simply six minutes later for a last-man foul, and although Dortmund didn’t instantly capitalize, the floodgates opened after the break.
Marcel Sabitzer doubled the lead with a deflected strike within the forty seventh, and Felix Nmecha sealed it within the 72nd, confirming Dortmund’s return to the large stage.
They’ll be joined by Eintracht Frankfurt, who got here from behind to beat Freiburg 3-1 away – a end result that denied the hosts their dream of a first-ever Champions League berth.
Ritsu Doan’s first-half volley had Freiburg followers dreaming, however Ansgar Knauff equalized simply earlier than the break.
Frankfurt then buried these hopes with a quick-fire double from Rasmus Kristensen and Ellyes Skhiri halfway by the second half.
Freiburg slipped to fifth and can compete in subsequent season’s Europa League.
Mainz additionally had cause to have fun, clinching the ultimate European spot – a Conference League berth – after a 2-2 residence draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
Jonathan Burkardt’s late penalty leveled the match after Patrick Schick’s brace briefly gave Leverkusen the lead. Mainz stayed sixth, a degree away from RB Leipzig, who collapsed 3-2 at residence to Stuttgart and missed out on European soccer for the primary time since their 2016 promotion.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich closed out their title-winning season in model with a 4-0 drubbing of Hoffenheim in Thomas Muller’s 503rd and closing Bundesliga look.
Harry Kane struck his twenty sixth of the season to safe back-to-back prime scorer honors, whereas Michael Olise, Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry additionally discovered the online.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso’s reign at Leverkusen ended with a league-record thirty fourth consecutive away sport unbeaten – regardless of settling for second after their 2-2 draw at Mainz.
Relegation drama additionally reached a boiling level. With Bochum and Kiel already down, Heidenheim fell into the Sixteenth-place playoff spot following a 4-1 loss to Werder Bremen.
Union Berlin staged a comeback to beat Augsburg 2-1 because of a brace from Andrej Ilić, whereas Wolfsburg edged Borussia Monchengladbach 1-0.
Source: www.dailysabah.com