Champions! Resolute Bayern tame Wolves

FC Bayern are the 2016/17 Bundesliga champions! After their closest pursuers RB Leipzig drew their match against Ingolstadt earlier in the afternoon, the Bavarians knew a victory at Wolfsburg would hand them the Bundesliga Meisterschale, and they demonstrated from the off they had no intention of letting the champagne remain on ice. David Alaba opened the scoring after 18 minutes and Robert Lewandowski netted a second after the half-hour. The Pole twisted the knife shortly before half-time and spent the second half looking to round off a hat-trick, but Arjen Robben, Thomas Müller and Joshua Kimmich all netted, turning the contest into an outright thrashing.

The champions started with Sven Ulreich between the sticks and Philipp Lahm, Javi Martínez, Mats Hummels and Alaba in a back four. Thiago and Kimmich anchored a midfield with Müller in the playmaking role, flanked by Robben and Kingsley Coman, with Lewandowski as an orthodox centre-forward.

Carlo Ancelotti made three changes to the team that started against Dortmund on Tuesday. Kimmich, Müller and Coman replaced Xabi Alonso, Arturo Vidal and Franck Ribery. Juan Bernat, Rafinha and Sanches took over from Hummels, Lahm and Thiago midway through the second half.

David and Lewy set Bayern on their way

The 30,000 capacity crowd at the Volkswagen-Arena saw the visitors in the driving seat. It first seemed the hosts would park the bus, but the contest soon opened up, with chances coming at either end. After the quarter-hour Müller was felled on the edge of the Wolves' box. Up stepped Alaba to unleash a drive that arched majestically over the wall and past keeper Koen Casteels into the top corner.

Casteels soon performed miracles, denying both a Lewandowski effort and Müller's rebound. Wolfsburg upped the ante now, Ulreich saving from former FCB man Mario Gomez and also Daniel Didavi. Bayern survived the short spell of pressure and went on to extend their lead when Müller charged down the left wing and teed up Lewandowski, who crashed home from 15 yards. The Bavarians twisted the knife with the half-time whistle imminent, repeating the attack that brought the second goal. This time Coman raced clear down the left and invited the lurking Lewandowski to round off his brace.

Wolves retreat as Reds seal the crown

Proceedings were similar after the restart, Alaba hitting the woodwork almost immediately. Robben added gloss to an already impressive scoreline midway through the second half, when he charged down the right, cut inside and low and hard into the near post.

Wolfsburg's Luiz Gustavo, another ex-Bayern player, received his marching orders for a second bookable offence with ten minutes to go, which meant Bayern had more salt to rub into the home side's wounds. Lewandowski ghosted past the rearguard and rounded Casteels only for the post to deny his hat-trick, but Müller was on hand to mop up. Five minutes later a Robben cross evaded the Pole, but Kimmich got hold of it to lash home into the far corner.

The result takes Bayern onto 73 points from 31 matches. With only three matches to go, the men from Munich can no longer be toppled from their perch as they are ten points clear of closest challengers RB Leipzig. The Reds are back in action next Saturday, when they entertain Darmstadt in the Bundesliga.

Live match report for fcbayern.com by Greg Salmen

Vfl Wolfsburg - FC Bayern 0-6 (H-T: 0-3)