Dortmund close in on another record after rout
German champions Borussia Dortmund closed in on another record on Saturday as their 5-2 win over relegated Kaiserslautern took their unbeaten run to 27 league games. Having broken the Bundesliga record for the longest unbeaten run in a season, Dortmund are now just one behind Bayern Munich's record of 79 points collected in a single Bundesliga season, which they managed twice in the 1970s. Having been confirmed league champions for the second season last weekend, Dortmund picked up their fifth straight win with Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios hitting a hat-trick against the league's bottom team. "It wasn't so easy to play high-level sport in this weather," said Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp with warm temperatures across southern Germany. "In attack, we were very good, but we didn't concentrate very well in defence. "At the end, everything worked well and I am very pleased with the result." Dortmund got off to an inauspicious start at Kaiserslautern as Brazilian defender Felipe Santana scored an own goal after only 16 minutes to put the hosts ahead. But the champions roared back just two minutes later as Barrios scored two goals in eight minutes to put the guests into a 2-1 lead. Germany's teenage star Mario Goetze netted his first league goal for five months, following a groin problem, on 33 minutes to make it 3-1 at the break. Although Kaiserslautern pulled another goal back just after the break, it was one-way traffic from then on as Barrios completed his hat-trick on 55 minutes before Croatia midfielder Ivan Perisic scored Dortmund's fifth on 78. Fresh from their penalty shoot-out victory heroics at Real Madrid on Wednesday to reach the Champions League final against Chelsea, Bayern enjoyed a 2-0 win at home to Stuttgart. Germany stars Mario Gomez and Thomas Mueller scored for the Bavarians at Munich's Allianz Arena, their last game at home before the Champions League final. Bayern goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt played his final home game before retiring, while striker Ivica Olic made a rare start ahead of his transfer to Wolfsburg next season. "For the players, it wasn't easy to switch back to the Bundesliga, although I must say, they have behaved very professionally and demonstrated a good attitude," said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. "Joerg pulled off some good saves in his farewell match, but if Olic had taken his chances in the second-half, it would have been a bit quieter at the end." Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored twice in Schalke's 4-0 win over Hertha Berlin to make him the league's top scorer with 27 goals in 32 games. The win means Schalke will finish third and claim the league's final direct qualification place for the Champions League. Hertha remain second from bottom and are battling with Cologne, who lost 4-1 at Freiburg, for 16th place which means an end-of-season play-off to stay in Germany's top flight against the team which finishes third in the second league. Moenchengladbach's goalless draw at Augsburg confirms their fourth-placed finish which means they have to win a play-off to qualify for next season's Champions League. Bayer Leverkusen's ex-Germany striker Stefan Kiessling hit the winner in their 1-0 win over Hanover 96 which means they finish fifth and gives them a Europa League place for next season. Stuttgart will finish sixth, which means a Europa League qualification play-off. Wolfsburg, who enjoyed a 3-1 win over Werder Bremen with ex-Germany striker Patrick Helmes scoring twice, are vying with Hanover for seventh spot and the final chance to claim a European place.
