As Bayern moped off the field on Saturday, head’s down, the Reds knew they had finally blown it. Leipzig, and in particular Bayern target Konrad Laimer, ran Bayern right off the field in the Allianz on Saturday and Bayern’s loss was certainly deserved. As they quietly contemplated yet another disappointing performance in a season they were already eliminated from the Champion’s League and Pokal, they knew this would be remembered as the day and the performance where they sealed their own trophyless fate and Dortmund would certainly take a big step towards snatching the Bundesliga title. Somehow, Dortmund had let them off the hook after their stumble in a draw against Hoffenheim and embarrassing defeat to Mainz. But they tempted fate one too many times, and this time Dortmund would certainly make them pay.

For Dortmund, a frustrating first half in Augsburg on Sunday had produced several good chances and near dominance in possession. While Augsburg did force one great save out of Kobel in the first half, their scoring opportunities were very scarce and they seemed resigned to concede Dortmund possession and play at least ten behind the ball at all times. While they did a great job at closing space quickly on most possessions, Dortmund’s superior qualities did create more than just a good chance or two. Dortmund probably should have been up by one or two but for a great play that simply turned a bit wide by Ademeymi and Brandt’s decision to fire from distance rather than walk it in on a wandering goaltender. But Udoukhai’s decision to drag down Malen from behind after he slipped past the Augsburg defender and to deny Malen a scoring opportunity was deservingly shown red and from the 35th minute or so onward, Dortmund’s victory was just a matter of time.

Augsburg did prove frustrating for the Black and Yellow for what must have felt like an infinite amount of time. Eventually, though, Sebastian Haller showed his class connecting on a shot with a really tight angle in the box for his sixth goal in the past three games. After the score, there was a very scary ten minutes or so where Dortmund really seemed to drop their intensity, drop back in their own back third, and invite Augsburg to earn one back quickly. Fortunately, Hummels and crew somehow did just enough to survive. Eventually, Dortmund got possession back in midfield, spread their players far and wide, and the game changed dramatically to Augsburg quickly tiring itself out while Dortmund passed around the ball.

Eventually, Haller got his second goal after the goaltender’s stop was pushed back into play in the box and the Dortmund victory on the road in Bavaria was sealed. Brandt eventually added a third courtesy of great work by Marco Reus and simply because the opportunity was there. As the final whistle blew, Dortmund knew they were in the driver’s seat. Returning home for next week’s game against Mainz, the Dortmund players know that a “w” ends Bayern’s decade long reign as Bundesliga Champions. Whether this is one of the great Dortmund teams or simply an opportunistic team that was there when Bayern stumbled can be debated for eons, but this does have the feel of the day when the Bundesliga trophy was snatched from Bayern’s grasp by a Dortmund team that somehow did just enough to deserve it.