Germany roundup: BVB wins league

Borussia Dortmund won its seventh Bundesliga title after beating Nuremberg 2-0 and second-place Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-0 at Cologne on Saturday.

First-half goals from Lucas Barrios and Robert Lewandowksi took Dortmund eight points clear of Leverkusen with two rounds left.

"I'm just happy," Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said. "I thought I'd be euphoric but maybe that'll come. It's impossible to put what the lads have done into words."

Dortmund - which started the season by losing at home to Leverkusen - last won the title in 2002.

"We waited very, very long for it. It was a long dry spell," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said.

His colleague at Leverkusen, Rudi Voeller, offered his congratulations. "We would have liked to make it more exciting for longer," he said.

Milivoje Novakovic scored against the run of play for Cologne in the 67th minute and again in the 82nd, to give his side its first win over Leverkusen in 14 years.

Marco Reus scored in a 1-0 win for Borussia Moenchengladbach at Hannover, meaning Bayern Munich can reclaim third place by beating Schalke in the late game.

Elsewhere, Mainz beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0, Stuttgart won 2-1 at Hoffenheim, and Freiburg won 2-0 at Hamburger SV.

"I can't really describe it - we played a really awesome season," Dortmund midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz said.

Nuremberg started with greater intensity, stopping Dortmund from establishing its quick passing game early on, with Andreas Wolf twice going close from set pieces in the first 20 minutes.

Klopp's side finally got going when Barrios scored with an easy tap-in in the 32nd, when Nuremberg keeper Raphael Schaefer was unlucky to parry Mario Goetze's long-range effort straight to the Paraguay striker's feet.

The goal gave belief to the home side, and Lewandowski and Barrios both went close before the former made it 2-0 in the 43rd.

Lewandowski shook off Javier Horacio Pinola to reach a long ball forward from Mats Hummels, and the Polish striker hooked the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper.

Barrios missed the chance to make it 3-0 in the 79th, but the fans - who had been keeping one eye on events in Cologne - didn't mind.

News of Novakovic's goals were greeted with as much enthusiasm as Dortmund's, as Cologne beat Leverkusen in its first game since Frank Schaefer quit as coach on Wednesday.

Leverkusen missed a host of chances to score. Renato Augusto showed great technique to control Michael Ballack's wonderful through ball, but shot wide under no pressure in the 15th.

Aware that Dortmund was leading against Nuremberg, the visitors increased the tempo, with Stefan Kiessling hitting the crossbar in the 52nd, before Michal Kadlec headed narrowly wide.

Michael Rensing pulled off an outstanding save to deny Ballack from close range, before Novakovic clipped the ball over Rene Adler after Miso Brecko's pass cut through the Leverkusen defense.

Renato Augusto hit the post, and Kiessling failed to connect with the ball before an open goal, before Novakovic claimed his 16th goal of the season from close range.

"Dortmund played the best Bundesliga football for long periods," Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes said. "I think it's brilliant. It's an outstanding accomplishment."

Borussia Moenchengladbach revived its hopes of avoiding the drop when Reus let fly from 18 meters (yards) for his 76th minute winner - the first time Moenchengladbach has won games back-to-back this season.

Hannover keeper Ron-Robert Zieler pulled off a great save from Reus before the interval.

Moenchengladbach is two points behind Eintracht Frankfurt, which slips into the relegation playoff place after its defeat at Mainz.

Andreas Ivanschitz gave Mainz a deserved lead in the 26th, when Benjamin Koehler failed to clear a Lewis Holtby cross after Andre Schuerrle had played him through.

Elkin Soto followed up Christian Fuchs' free kick to make it 2-0 in the 38th, and it got worse for the visitors when Sebastian Rode was sent off and Soto scored his second before the break.

Frankfurt coach Christoph Daum has not won in five games, the worst ever start for a coach in the Bundesliga.

A mistake from Stuttgart goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, when he failed to control Serdar Tasci's backpass, allowed Peniel Mlapa score for Hoffenheim in the 14th.

Cacau stayed cool and slotted the ball past Tom Starke to equalize in the 63rd, after Martin Harnik played him through.

Zdravko Kuzmanovic scored Stuttgart's winner from the penalty spot five minutes later, after Harnik was brought down by in the area by Isaac Vorsah.

In Hamburg, Freiburg striker Papiss Demba Cisse took his season tally to 22 goals, when he scored in either half.