BERLIN, May 22: Robert Lewandowski left it to the last minute of the last game before breaking the Bundesliga record with his 41st goal of the season on Saturday.
Lewandowski missed a host of chances before he finally struck in the 90th minute of Bayern Munich’s 5-2 win over Augsburg in the final round of the German league.
“I’d have preferred to have scored earlier,” the Poland striker said.
Lewandowski had equaled the previous best-mark of 40 goals scored by Bayern great Gerd Müller in the 1971-72 season in Bayern’s previous game in Freiburg. He scored in each of his last 10 league appearances, and clocked 41 goals in just 29 games altogether.
Also on the last day of the German season, Werder Bremen was relegated to the second division and Union Berlin qualified for Europe for the first time.
Bremen lost 4-2 at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach and was relegated automatically after Sebastiaan Bornauw scored a late winner for Cologne to beat already relegated Schalke 1-0.
Bremen dropped second last, two points behind Cologne, which clinched a two-leg relegation/promotion playoff against the team that finishes third in the second division.
Max Kruse scored late for Union to beat Leipzig 2-1 to clinch seventh place and qualify for UEFA’s new Europa Conference League competition next season. Union needed a win to stay ahead of Gladbach.
Leipzig finished in second place. (AP)