Bayern beats Dortmund, closes in on 8th straight Bundesliga

BERLIN (AP) — Joshua Kimmich scored with a long-range lob to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 win over closest rival Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, putting the team a huge step closer to claiming a record-extending eighth consecutive Bundesliga title.

Kimmich collected the ball outside the area and chipped it over Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki minutes before the break. It was enough for Bayern to stretch its lead to seven points over Dortmund with six games of the season remaining. Dortmund had a chance to cut the lead to one point with a win, but Bayern has only dropped points once in the last 11 games.

It was an eerily quiet meeting between the Bundesliga rivals as the shouts from players and coaches, and the thud of the ball being kicked around, could be heard clearly in Dortmund’s almost-empty 80,000-capacity Westfalenstadion.

The Bundesliga, which resumed after a two-month coronavirus-induced suspension on May 16, is being played without fans and amid strict hygiene measures for the rest of season.

Later Tuesday, Bayer Leverkusen hosted Wolfsburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach visited Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt welcomed Freiburg.