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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Late Goretzka goal gives Bayern 2-1 win over Gladbach

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich v Borussia Moenchengladbach - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - June 13, 2020 Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Christof Stache/Pool via REUTERS

Leon Goretzka's 86th minute goal gave Bayern Munich a 2-1 victory over visitors Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday, meaning they need to win just one of their last three matches to secure the Bundesliga title.

Goretzka tapped in Benjamin Pavard's cutback to send Bayern seven points clear at the top of the table. Second-placed Borussia Dortmund secured a last-gasp 1-0 win at Fortuna Duesseldorf.

Bayern, who could seal the title on Tuesday at Werder Bremen, are on 73 points, with Dortmund on 66. Gladbach remain fourth on 56.

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich v Borussia Moenchengladbach - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - June 13, 2020 Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman in action with Borussia Moenchengladbach's Matthias Ginter and Stefan Lainer, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Christof Stache/Pool via REUTERS

Bayern, missing suspended top scorer Robert Lewandowski and the league's best provider Thomas Mueller, took the lead in the 26th minute when Gladbach keeper Yann Sommer, having made a sensational save only seconds earlier, passed the ball out into the path of Bayern's Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutch forward only needed to fire into an empty goal.

The visitors, themselves in the hunt for a Champions League spot, went into the break level when France international Pavard scored an own goal as he attempted to clear a Patrick Herrmann cutback.

Sommer made amends with a fine save of a Serge Gnabry effort but was helpless a little later when Goretzka showed up with far too much space in the box to snatch the winner and Bayern's 10th consecutive league win.

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich v Borussia Moenchengladbach - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - June 13, 2020 Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry in action with Borussia Moenchengladbach's Florian Neuhaus and Ramy Bensebaini, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Christof Stache/Pool via REUTERS

"We can also win these tough matches," said Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer. "Our plan was a bit different. We did not have that much possession and pressed more in midfield."

"We let them come to us. That was the plan."

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich v Borussia Moenchengladbach - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - June 13, 2020 Moenchengladbach's Yann Sommer reacts during the match, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Christof Stache/Pool via REUTERS

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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