Mainz beaten in injury-marred tie as Bayern move within one win of league title

Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi was taken to hospital after suffering a serious head injury during Mainz’s 1-0 loss against Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Liverpool loanee Awoniyi, 22, was left briefly motionless after landing awkwardly following a clash of heads with Augsburg defender Felix Uduokhai in the first half.

Awoniyi was stretchered off with his neck in a brace after a long delay while he received medical attention on the pitch.

Mainz said Awoniyi, a former Under-17 World Cup winner, was responsive and taken to hospital for tests. Awoniyi has yet to make an appearance for Liverpool since joining the club in 2015, spending numerous spells on loan in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Augsburg moved seven points clear of the relegation play-off place with just three games to play after striker Florian Niederlechner scored the only goal just 43 seconds into Sunday’s match.

Mainz stayed three points above the bottom three. They came closest to equalising when French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta rounded the Augsburg goalkeeper but had his shot cleared off the line by defender Philipp Max.

Mainz face second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday before Saturday’s crucial home match against Werder Bremen, who are second from bottom and three points behind them in the table.

Earlier, Bayern Munich moved to within just one win of an eighth straight Bundesliga title as a late Leon Goretzka goal sealed a 2-1 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Teenage striker Joshua Zirkzee put Bayern ahead before Benjamin Pavard’s own goal levelled for Gladbach, but Goretzka netted his third goal in five league games with four minutes remaining.

Even without the suspended Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller, Bayern earned their 13th straight win in all competitions to re-establish their seven-point lead over Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table with three matches left.

Victory at relegation-threatened Werder Bremen on Tuesday will confirm Bayern as German champions for the 30th time in Hansi Flick’s first season in charge.

“I’m happy that the team got the job done with some hard work -- those were three important, ‘big’ points,” said Flick.

Second-placed Dortmund had earlier trimmed Bayern’s lead to four points when Erling Braut Haaland’s last-gasp header grabbed a dramatic 1-0 win at Fortuna Duesseldorf.

Bayern had to dig deep again, having also laboured to victory by the same margin in Wednesday’s German Cup semi-final win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Gladbach made a fast start but were denied an early lead as Jonas Hofmann’s strike was ruled out for offside.

But visiting goalkeeper Yann Sommer gifted Bayern a 26th-minute advantage when his dreadful pass across the edge of his area was met by the 19-year-old Zirkzee, who coolly found the net to score his fourth Bundesliga goal from just eight appearances.

Gladbach deservedly drew level though when Pavard turned Patrick Herrmann’s cross into his own net eight minutes before the break.

Both sides had second-half chances, but Goretzka settled matters when he turned home Pavard’s low cross.

Agencies