Bundesliga round-up: Bayern Munich send Darmstadt down
Saturday 6 May 2017 20:22, UK
Juan Bernat's early goal was enough to give champions Bayern Munich a 1-0 victory over Darmstadt and send the visitors down.
Bayern, back at the Allianz Arena for the first time since clinching a fifth consecutive Bundesliga crown with a 6-0 rout at Wolfsburg last weekend, ran out narrow winners thanks to Bernat's cracking 18th-minute strike.
The full-back showed exceptionally quick feet to evade Patrick Banggaard's challenge before lifting the ball past goalkeeper Michael Esser with the outside of his left boot.
Darmstadt were thrown a lifeline when they were awarded a late penalty but former Bayern midfielder Hamit Altintop saw his effort saved by veteran goalkeeper Tom Starke.
The visitors had shown signs of life recently with three straight wins delaying what had appeared to be inevitable relegation, but despite another plucky display their fate was sealed with two matches remaining.
Ingolstadt put off joining them, for another week at least, after a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen.
Sonny Kittel fired them into the lead in the 73rd minute but, just five minutes later, Leverkusen levelled through Kai Havertz.
Things look bleak for Ingolstadt, though, after Wolfsburg and Augsburg moved six points clear of them
Goals from Daniel Didavi and Mario Gomez secured a 2-0 win for the Wolves at Eintracht Frankfurt, while only a stoppage-time goal from Andre Hahn prevented Augsburg, who took the lead through Alfred Finnbogason, from beating Borussia Monchengladbach.
Hamburg and Mainz, who are now three points ahead of Ingolstadt, meet on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund leapfrogged opponents Hoffenheim into third with a 2-1 victory at the Westfalenstadion.
The hosts took a fourth-minute lead when Gonzalo Castro teed up Marco Reus to finish at the far post.
They should have doubled their lead in the 13th minute after Pavel Kaderabek was penalised for handball in the area, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put his penalty wide.
Aubameyang made amends by doubling the lead with eight minutes remaining before Andrej Kramaric pulled one back from the spot for Hoffenheim.
In the late kick-off, second-placed RB Leipzig secured a 4-1 victory over Hertha Berlin in fifth.
Timo Werner grabbed a goal in each half, opening the scoring with a header from Marcel Sabitzer's cross.
Werner struck again nine minutes into the second half before Rani Khedira's own-goal gave Hertha hope.
But that was quickly extinguished as Davie Selke grabbed two quickfire goals to seal a comfortable win.
