European football: Bayern Munich win 35th league title by surging past Stuttgart

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Bayern Munich secured their 35th German league title by beating Stuttgart 4-2 to open up an unassailable lead with four games to play. Sunday’s result sent Bayern 15 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

The Bavarian side, who face Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup semi-final next week before taking on Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on 28 April, were a goal down before scoring four times to quickly turn the game around.

“It’s been a fantastic season for us,” said Harry Kane, who was also on target on Sunday. “To finish the league off in the way we have with the goals we scored ... credit to the lads ... we still have a lot to play for ... but all the hard work, this makes it all worth it.”

Bayern have been dominant once more in the Bundesliga this season, shattering the all-time league record for goals scored in one campaign (101), having already netted 109 times with four matches remaining.

Kane, who is the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 32, will need to score nine times in the remaining games if he is to equal Robert Lewandowski’s record of 41 goals in a season. But the England captain is already on track to win the top scorer trophy, and if he does then he will be the first player to win that title in his first three seasons in the Bundesliga.

With back-to-back German league titles in his two seasons in charge, Vincent Kompany, who took over from Thomas Tuchel in 2024, has quickly succeeded in reestablishing Bayern’s domestic dominance after Leverkusen broke their stranglehold with an unbeaten domestic double in 2024.

“The season is not over yet. There are still things to be won,” said Kompany. “PSG in the Champions League, the defending champions, it’s probably the toughest challenge. But before that we have Leverkusen. I don’t want to stop here. Now come the decisive weeks. We’re looking forward to them, but we also know how difficult it will be. Our belief is there, and that’s worth a lot in football.”

Bayern last won the Champions League in 2020, the same year they reached their last German Cup final in Berlin.

“We will have enough time to celebrate what we have achieved but now it is about what we can still achieve so we need that full focus,” Kompany said. “The players have to recover and prepare the game for Leverkusen. But you can have a glass of red wine in the evening and go to work tomorrow. We will celebrate but obviously not really today,” he added.

But it all kicked off with a Stuttgart goal on Sunday with Chris Führich silencing the home crowd when he slotted in from a Bilal El Khannouss assist to put the visitors in front in the 21st minute. Bayern did not need long to bounce back, scoring three times in six minutes. Raphaël Guerreiro opened their account when he tapped in after a superb solo run and cutback from Jamal Musiala in the 31st minute before Nicolas Jackson slotted in to put the hosts in front two minutes later. Alphonso Davies completed their first -half turbo comeback with another goal in the 37th.

They kept scoring after the break and the substitute Kane added another from close range seven minutes after the restart before Stuttgart pulled a goal back with Chema Andrés late on.

In Italy, Milan earned a 1-0 win away at Verona, strengthening their grip on a Champions League place.

Milan are second in Serie A, level on 66 points with third-placed Napoli and 12 points adrift of Inter, while fifth-placed Como sit eight points back with five games remaining.

Verona are virtually condemned to relegation, sitting bottom of the table and 10 points from safety, a fact Milan fans were only too happy to remind them of, chanting “Serie B, Serie B” throughout.

AZ Alkmaar delivered a dominant performance to win the Dutch Cup final, hammering NEC Nijmegen 5-1 in Rotterdam.