Bayern crowned champions in record time

FC Bayern München have been confirmed as Bundesliga champions in record time, a 3-1 win at Hertha BSC Berlin wrapping up the title for Josep Guardiola's team with seven games still to play.

The Bavarians' 19th successive league victory, which extends their unbeaten top-flight run to a remarkable 52 matches, means they have an unassailable 25-point lead over Borussia Dortmund, who drew 0-0 with third-placed FC Schalke 04 in the Ruhr Valley derby.

Having been prevented from sealing their 24th German title at the weekend when successes for those two sides kept the champagne on ice, Bayern wasted little time in ensuring they would be crowned in the capital.

Toni Kroos gave the visitors the lead in the sixth minute, firing a low shot past Thomas Kraft at the far post after a persistent run and right-wing cross from Thomas Müller. The lead was doubled before the quarter-hour mark by Mario Götze.

Though Adrián Ramos halved Hertha's arrears with a penalty midway through the second half, awarded for a foul on the Colombia striker by Rafinha, Franck Ribéry restored Bayern's two-goal cushion with a deft finish over Kraft. 

There was also success on Tuesday for VfL Wolfsburg, who scored twice in the opening ten minutes as they prevailed 3-1 at SV Werder Bremen, and struggling TSV Eintracht Braunschweig. The bottom-of-the-table side recorded just their fifth win in 27 league games this term, 3-1 against 1. FSV Mainz 05, thanks partly to Dominick Kumbela's double.