BERLIN (Reuters) – Talking points from the Bundesliga weekend:
FIERCE BATTLE
Werder Bremen took charge of the second tier Bundesliga 2 title race with a resounding 4-1 victory over Schalke 04, leaving them a point clear with three games left.
Several former Bundesliga powerhouses are locked in a battle for promotion, with Werder leading on 57 points and Schalke in second place a point behind. Darmstadt 98 are third on 54, with St Pauli also in contention on 53 in fourth place along with Hamburg SV, fifth on 51.
The top two earn automatic promotion with the third-placed club going into a playoff.
UNION FORM
Few would have believed Union Berlin would be battling for a European spot and not against relegation this season but they have now won four games in a row following their 2-1 comeback win at RB Leipzig to move into the top six.
Their winning run has lifted them to sixth and a spot in the Europa Conference League, and just four points off a Champions League place, with three matches remaining.
BAYERN RUN
Bayern Munich’s 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund that gave them their 10th straight Bundesliga crown was the first time the title was decided in a game between the two.
It was also Dortmund’s seventh consecutive Bundesliga defeat to Bayern, the Ruhr valley club’s longest losing streak against any team.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Peter Rutherford)