Norwegian striker Erling Haaland took his tally to 13 goals in 10 Bundesliga starts to fire Borussia Dortmund to victory at RB Leipzig on Saturday.
Haaland's double in the 2-0 win secured Dortmund the runner-up spot in the German league with one game of the season remaining. It is the fifth time in eight years Dortmund have finished behind champions Bayern Munich, who wrapped up an eighth successive title on Tuesday.
"A big three points to give us some space for the end of the season," said 17-year-old American forward Giovanni Reyna, who made his first start for Dortmund. "This was a big win to secure second place so we're all really happy."
Leipzig stay in third place but are set to stay in the top four and earn a place in next season's Champions League.
Fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen had the chance to move level on points on Saturday, but Peter Bosz's side slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Hertha Berlin.
Matheus Cunha and Dodi Lukebakio scored in each half to earn Hertha all three points and consign Leverkusen to their first blanks since December - also against Hertha.
Leverkusen will need to win their last game of the season, at home against Mainz, and hope Borussia Monchengladbach lose to Hertha to claim a top four place.
Gladbach kept their top four fate in their own hands with a 3-1 win at relegated Paderborn.
Patrick Hermann opened the scoring for Gladbach after four minutes, before Sven Michel levelled nine minutes into the second half. A double from Lars Stindl - the first from the penalty spot - either side of Uwe Hunemeier's red card ensured a comfortable win for the visitors.
Bayern Munich celebrated their title triumph with a 3-1 home win against Freiburg as Robert Lewandowski made history.
After Joshua Kimmich put Bayern ahead, the Polish striker scored his 32nd and 33rd league goals to break Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s record for most goals in a Bundesliga season by a non-German national.
In a battle for survival, Mainz cemented their Bundesliga status for another season by claiming a 3-1 win over Werder Bremen, who need to beat Cologne on the final day to avoid automatic relegation.
Augsburg also confirmed their safety with a 1-1 draw at Dusseldorf.
Schalke's alarming decline continued with a 4-1 defeat at home against Wolfsburg, while Hoffenheim thrashed Union Berlin 4-0 to keep alive their Europa League chances.
