THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BERLIN _ Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben missed a late penalty as defending champion Borussia Dortmund staked a massive claim on the Bundesliga title with a 1-0 win over its main rival on Wednesday.
Robert Lewandowski struck his 20th goal of the season in the 77th minute to leave Dortmund six points clear of Bayern with four games remaining.
The home side also equaled Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga record of 24 games unbeaten.
“I think it was the best game we played against them,” Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said after his side’s fourth consecutive win over Bayern. “I think of the penalty and that he stops it. That’s unbelievable.”
Roman Weidenfeller missed the ball and brought Robben down in the penalty area in the 85th, but the Dortmund goalkeeper guessed the right way to deny the Dutchman a minute later.
Dortmund defender Neven Subotic then hit his own crossbar in injury time, with Robben firing the rebound over with the goal at his mercy.
There was still time for Lewandowski to hit the crossbar at the other end.
Third-place Schalke was unable to take advantage of Bayern’s loss by slumping to a 4-1 defeat at Nuremberg, Hoffenheim routed Hamburger SV 4-0, Hannover beat Wolfsburg 2-0, and bottom side Kaiserslautern is almost certainly relegated after losing 3-1 at Bayer Leverkusen.
Dortmund’s likely title decider with Bayern had been billed by German media as “the game of games.”
“If Dortmund win they’ll be champions. If Bayern win they’ll have it their hands to become champions,” said former Bayern great Franz Beckenbauer _ before tipping a 2-2 draw.
The home side started strongly, with Jakub Blaszczykowski beating the offside trap and flashing a shot wide early on.
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer denied Kevin Grosskreutz from point blank in the sixth, before gathering Lewandowski’s attempt from the rebound.
Dortmund’s suffocating defence prevented Bayern from settling into the game, and the visitors looked lethargic and short of ideas.
Bayern’s play was best summed up when Franck Ribery’s wonderful backheel set David Alaba free on the right, only for the Austrian’s harmless cross to be easily cut out by a defender.
Lewandowski struck the left post with a header in the 37th, before Jerome Boateng scrambled the loose ball away.
Dortmund finally scored after a corner, when Grosskreutz tried his luck from range and Lewandowski’s flick with his back to goal deflected the ball beyond the helpless Neuer.
Robben misses late penalty; Dortmund wins
