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 down 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 missed much of the season after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last year, made sure of victory and set up a grandstand finale to the end of the league season when he scored on the rebound with six minutes to go.

“If someone told me six months ago that I would be in this situation today I would not have believed them,” Haller, who underwent surgery and chemotherapy before his return to action in 2023, said. “We have invested a lot and now we have a chance to achieve something big. There is no magic. It is about investing. Then it comes.”