Serhou Guirassy scored his 26th goal of the Bundesliga season to send surprise packages VfB Stuttgart up to second with a 1-0 win at Augsburg on Friday.
Stuttgart have already secured Champions League football next season, like the entire top five, having almost been relegated the previous season.
Guinea forward Guirassy, only behind Bayern Munich's Harry Kane (36) in the Bundesliga scoring charts, netted with his first effort on target early in the second half.
It was a typical flowing move from Sebastian Hoeness's side, who are now a point ahead of Bayern, who host Wolfsburg on Sunday. There is only one matchday left next weekend.
Champions Bayer Leverkusen running away with the league was a surprise but Stuttgart challenging for second seemed even more fanciful at the start of the campaign.
With Bayern deflated by their controversial Champions League semi-final elimination and Kane unlikely to beat Robert Lewandowski's Bundesliga record 41 goals in a season, Stuttgart will hope they can cling to second.
Ninth-placed Augsburg now have one game left, at Leverkusen's title victory party next Saturday, to try to grab a possible European place.
This Saturday's big game sees Cologne take on Union Berlin at the bottom. If the hosts lose, they are down.