Borussia Dortmund seals Champions League qualification, Stuttgart's hopes hit a bump

BERLIN (AP) — Borussia Dortmund sealed Champions League qualification on Sunday with an easy 4-0 win over a distracted Freiburg team in the Bundesliga.

Maximilian Beier, Serhou Guirassy and Ramy Bensebaini effectively decided the result in the first half hour, before substitute Fabio Silva completed the scoring late.

Dortmund ‘keeper Gregor Kobel denied Cyriaque Irié a consolation goal.

With three rounds remaining, Dortmund is assured of finishing among the top four to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition.

Freiburg coach Julian Schuster had made a host of changes to the team that suffered a bitter defeat against Stuttgart in the German Cup semifinals on Thursday.

Freiburg next faces Sporting Braga away for the first leg of their Europa League semifinal match.

Dortmund coach Niko Kovač gave Samuele Inacio his first start and the 18-year-old Italian forward made the most of it, earning ovations when he went off in the 74th minute.

United States Under-17 forward Mathis Albert went on for the final minutes to make his Dortmund debut. The 16-year-old from Greenville, South Carolina, joined Dortmund's academy in 2025 from LA Galaxy's academy. and was part of the U.S. team at last year’s Under-17 World Cup.

Another youngster, the 18-year-old midfielder Rouven Tarnutzer, had already gone on late for his Freiburg debut.

Stuttgart’s hopes of Champions League qualification were tempered in a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen.

Ermedin Demirović canceled Jens Stage’s early goal for the visitors and just kept Stuttgart in fourth place on goal difference from Hoffenheim before they face each other for a high-stakes clash next weekend.

Stuttgart and Hoffenheim were on 57 points, two ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, which still harbors its own hopes of Champions League qualification.

Bremen’s point from the draw in Stuttgart moved it six points above St. Pauli in the relegation zone.

Bayern Munich already sealed the title last weekend and will face Stuttgart in the German Cup final on May 23.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Bremen's Karim Coulibaly, right, and Stuttgart's Tiago Tomas, left, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Werder Bremen in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Bernd Weissbrod/dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic, right, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Werder Bremen in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Bernd Weissbrod/dpa via AP)

Dortmund's Fabio Silva, right, celebrates with Julian Ryerson after scoring his side's fourth goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg in Dortmund, Germany, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy, left, and Freiburg's Bruno Ogbus challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg in Dortmund, Germany, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy, third from left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg in Dortmund, Germany, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

ATLANTA (AP) — Chris Sale shut down the Phillies for the second time in nine days and won his 150th career game as the Atlanta Braves built an early lead and beat Philadelphia 6-2 on Sunday.

Sale (5-1) threw six shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out a season-high nine. In his previous start on against the slumping Phillies on April 18, Sale gave up one run in seven innings.

The Phillies, who snapped a 10-game losing streak Saturday, dropped to 0-10 against left-handed non-opener starters and fell to 9-19 overall.

Matt Olson hit a three-run home run in the first inning and Eli White added a two-run homer in the second for the Braves, who won for the 10th time in 12 games. Olson's homer was his eighth of the season and fourth in his career off Phillies starer Aaron Nola (1-3).

Ronald Acuña Jr. was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and a steal. Drake Baldwin was 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored, and Ozzie Albies extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single in the seventh inning.

Nola gave up a season-high six runs on seven hits and has now allowed 11 earned runs in his last two starts. Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer run in the eighth inning as the Phillies avoided the shutout.

Sale's only difficulty came in the third inning, when a hit by pitch, a single and a walk loaded the bases for Phillies slugger Bryce Harper. After falling behind 3--0, Sale struck out Harper to end the threat.

The Braves are 8-0-1 in nine series this season and are the only team not to lose a series.

Phillies: LHP Jesus Lozardo (1-3, 6.91) will face Giants RHP Tyler Mahle (1-3, 5.26) in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Braves: LHP Martín Pérez (1-1, 2.70) will start against Tigers RHP Casey Mize (2-1, 2.51) for Tuesday's first game of a three-game series in Atlanta.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) reacts after giving up a three-run home run to Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr., left, runs out an infield single ahead of the throw to Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper, right, during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson hits a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51) delivers to a Philadelphia Phillies batter during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)