Dortmund defeats Hertha to keep faint title hopes alive

The result leaves Dortmund second on 63 points with four rounds of games remaining, seven behind Bayern. The defending champion moved a step closer to securing its eighth successive title with a 4-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the day.

Prior to kick-off, both teams went down on one knee in the centre circle to pay tribute to George Floyd, an unarmed black man whose death in US police custody on May 25 has triggered protests around the world. The first half in Dortmund was played almost at walking pace and produced two chances for the home side.

Thorgan Hazard sliced his shot wide from close range before Julian Brandt fired wide from 18 metres. England forward Jadon Sancho, who scored a hat-trick in Dortmund’s 6-1 win at Paderborn, endured a poor afternoon. He was guilty of an astonishing miss in the 51st minute as he side-footed the ball wide from five metres.

With Dortmund dominating, Can finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute. The German drove the ball into the bottom left corner from the edge of the penalty area after Sancho headed a Hazard cross into the his stride.

Sancho squandered another gilt-edged chance in the 90th minute, allowing Hertha keeper Rune Jarstein to block his shot from two metres. Following the result, Hertha remains on 38 points and is unlikely to find a Europa League spot for next season.

Wolfsburg beats Werder
Striker Wout Weghorst scored with only eight minutes remaining as away side Wolfsburg defeated Werder Bremen on Sunday and pushed its host closer towards relegation.

A return to form for the Dutch international ensured Wolfsburg (45 points) moved up to the sixth place, jumping above Hoffenheim, and put itself back in place to qualify for next season’s Europa League. Werder (25 points), which has been in the Bundesliga longer than any other club, remains second from bottom as its winless run at home in the league was stretched to 13 games.

Later on Sunday, host Union Berlin and Schalke played out a 1-1 stalemate. Robert Andrich netted for the home side in the 11th minute, but Jonjoe Kenny, on loan from Premier League club Everton, equalised for the visitor in the 28th.