- Hertha BSC
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- FC Bayern München
BERLIN (dpa) - Bayern Munich came one step closer to winning the Bundesliga by defeating Hertha Berlin 2-0 in their visit, four days before the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
The team of Pep Guardiola would have been crowned champion in this round if Borussia Dortmund had lost, but Thomas Tuchel's team thrashed Stuttgart 3-0 at their field and remain seven points behind Bayern with three matchdays or nine points left to play.
If Bayern wins next Saturday in Munich against Borussia Monchengladbach or achieves the same result as Dortmund, they will win their fourth consecutive league title, an unprecedented achievement in Bundesliga history.
They are also finalists in the Cup and await the Champions League semi-final against Atletico, so Guardiola can still fulfill his dream of winning a treble before leaving at the end of the season to join Manchester City.
The match in front of 74,000 spectators at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin showed a less intense Bayern side, with seven changes compared to the starting eleven that won 2-0 against Werder Bremen on Tuesday in the Cup semi-final.
It wasn't until the 48th minute that Arturo Vidal opened the scoring with a shot from outside the area that deflected off and confused the goalkeeper. The goal extended Vidal's streak, scoring four goals in the last two league matches and two in the Champions League.
Ten minutes from the end, Douglas Costa took a ball on the corner of the area and launched a bomb that went over the goalkeeper and into the top corner. The punishment could have been excessive for Hertha, who, however, remain in fourth place and will play a playoff to qualify for the Champions League.
The unlikely defeat of Dortmund that would have made Bayern champions did not happen and the visitors thrashed Stuttgart with goals from Shinji Kagawa on a counterattack, Christian Pulisic after a rebound, and Henrik Mkhitaryan from a cross by Colombian Adrián Ramos.
The goals