A hat-trick from Thomas Müller combined with two second half goals from Werder Bremen at Schalke have put Bayern Munich on the edge of their eighth league title in the least 12 years, with only a miraculous last week of the season able to save Schalke.
Their 3-1 win over visiting Bochum combined with Schalke's 2-0 loss in Gelsenkirchen to Werder Bremen, Bayern is three points clear in the German top flight. In order to lose the Bundesliga, Bayern would have to lose next week at last place Hertha Berlin, have Schalke win at tenth place Mainz, and have the matches' goal difference turn around their eleven goal advantage.
On Saturday at the Allainz Arena, Müller put Bayern up two within twenty minutes and completed his hat-trick in the sixtieth minute. A late goal from Christian Fuchs kept Hans Jörge Bütt from this clean sheet, giving Bayern a 3-1 victory.
Meanwhile, Schalke and Werder Bremen were drawn scoreless until Mesut Özul opened Bremen's account in the 55th minute. Hugo Almeida doubled Werder's lead nine minutes later, scoring the final goal in third-place Bremen's 2-0 victory.
The results keep Bayern on course for a league, domestic cup, Champions League treble. Munich is through to May 22nd's Champions League final in Madrid, where they will take-on Italy's Internazionale. They are also finalists in the DFB Pokal, where they will face Werder Bremen on May 15.
For Bremen, Saturday's victory was their fourth straight and their seventh in their last eight matches. The run of form has vaulted them into Germany's final Champions League spot, two points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, who dropped out of their points-tie after drawing 1-1 on Saturday against Hertha at the BayArena.