BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich won the Women’s Bundesliga for the fourth straight year on Wednesday with a 3-2 victory at league newcomer Union Berlin.
Klara Bühl set up fellow substitute Giulia Gwinn for a late winner after Union twice fought back to equalize. Both players were celebrating their returns from injury.
The team moved an unassailable 15 points clear of Wolfsburg – the last side other than Bayern to land the crown in 2022 – with four games from 26 still to play.
It’s the earliest title since Duisburg also won it with four rounds to spare in 2000, after playing 18 rounds of 22 at the time.
Bayern’s title, its eighth altogether, comes after a 19-game winning run in the league – a club record.
“Congratulations to the most successful title collectors in the history of FC Bayern. The fourth German championship in a row is the next historic achievement. We are proud of this team,” Bayern president Herbert Hainer said four days after congratulating the men’s team for clinching their Bundesliga title on Saturday.
“Crazy, and very special,” goalscorer Barbara Dunst said after her first Bundesliga title following her summer switch from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Bavarian powerhouse next turns its attention to Barcelona’s visit on Saturday for the first leg of their Champions League semifinal. Bayern is bidding to reach the final for the first time while mindful of Barça’s 7-1 rout when they met for their opening game in the league phase.
Bayern encountered no such issues in the Bundesliga, winning every game with the exception of a draw at home to Carl Zeiss Jena in September. Jena is now bottom of the table, fighting for survival.
Bayern coach José Barcala rested a host of regulars against Union with the likes of Gwinn, Bühl and Pernille Harder starting on the substitutes’ bench.
It seemed not to matter with Edna Imade scoring after a corner in the eighth minute.
But Sophie Weidauer delighted the large crowd in Union’s 22,000 capacity Stadion An der Alten Försterei – where the men’s team also plays – when she capitalized on a defensive error and set off on a run before beating Bayern goalkeeper Cara Bösl in the 11th.
Bayern had to wait till the 50th for Dunst to respond with a long-range shot that squeezed inside the left post.
Lia Kamber pulled Union level again after a well-worked move in the 77th, but Bayern’s perseverance paid off through Gwinn’s winner in the 84th.
Wolfsburg drew 0-0 at Werder Bremen, with both teams reduced to 10 women with late red cards.
Bayern, the defending champion, also faces Wolfsburg in the Women’s German Cup final on May 14 in Cologne.
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An earlier version of this story incorrectly said there were three games still to play. There are four games remaining for both Bayern and Wolfsburg.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
