By Charlotte Coates.
Harry Kane scored his 33rd goal in the Bundesliga as Bayern Munich thrashed Union Berlin 5-1 at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei.
Leon Goretzka scored in the 29th minute with a fine finish from inside the box.
England captain Kane expertly curled in a free-kick to put Bayern 2-0 up on the stroke of half-time.
Second-half goals came from Mathys Tel and a double from Thomas Muller before Yorbe Vertessen scored a late consolation.
Union’s game plan was clear in the first half as they sat in a low block and tried to counter-attack Thomas Tuchel’s side, who were fresh from securing their place in the Champions League semi-finals.
But their heads dropped once Germany international Goretzka and Kane had made it 2-0, and Bayern raced away in the second period.
Tuchel’s side have moved three points ahead of Stuttgart as they look to secure second spot, with Bayer Leverkusen winning the Bundesliga title last weekend.
Union, however, remain three points above the relegation play-off spot.
Cologne Facing Drop
Cologne’s hopes of survival were dealt a major blow after losing 2-0 at home to last-placed Darmstadt, the visitor’s first win since October.
Darmstadt defender Christoph Klarer scored in the 57th minute when the ball landed luringly at his feet after Cologne defenders failed to clear a corner.
Some Cologne fans were left in tears after Oscar Vilhelmsson sealed Darmstadt’s win in the final minute, bringing Cologne’s seventh relegation from the Bundesliga a step closer.
Cologne remained second from bottom, four points behind in-form Mainz before its game at Freiburg on Sunday, and five behind Bochum, which lost in Wolfsburg 1-0.
Darmstadt remained last but its supporters celebrated the end of their team’s 22-game winless run. Darmstadt hadn’t won since Oct. 7.
Four rounds remain after this weekend. The bottom two are automatically relegated, while the team that finishes third from bottom faces a two-leg playoff against the third-place finisher in the second division to determine which side plays in the Bundesliga next season.
Leipzig consolidated fourth place and boosted its chances of Champions League qualification with a 2-1 win at Heidenheim, and Anton Stach had the final say in a wild finish as Hoffenheim defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-3.