Harry Kane scored his 21st Bundesliga goal of the
season as Bayern Munich produced a devastating second-half display to overturn
an early deficit and thrash RB Leipzig 5–1 on Saturday.
The emphatic victory restores Bayern’s commanding
11-point lead at the top of the table over Borussia Dortmund and extends their
remarkable, record-breaking league campaign.
Unbeaten after 18 matches, Bayern have dropped just
four points all season, reaching a record-equalling 50 points at this stage.
Their 71 goals scored also represent a Bundesliga record after 18 games.
Leipzig started brightly and took a deserved
first-half lead when Romulo capitalised on a defensive lapse, sneaking past
Jonathan Tah to convert Antonio Nusa’s pass from close range after 20 minutes.
Bayern struggled to match Leipzig’s intensity before
the break, with head coach Vincent Kompany admitting his side were outplayed
early on.
“They were twice as good as we were in the first
half,” Kompany said. “But in the second half — my God, the boys delivered. We
weren’t afraid and we really went for it.”
The visitors turned the match on its head shortly
after the restart. Dayot Upamecano dispossessed Christoph Baumgartner in
midfield before releasing Serge Gnabry, who calmly guided the equaliser into
the bottom corner.
Bayern seized control in the 67th minute following
another Leipzig error. Michael Olise’s harmless-looking cross became dangerous
when Ridle Baku slipped, allowing Kane time and space to smash home and give
Bayern the lead.
With Leipzig’s resistance broken, the floodgates
opened. Tah, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Olise all found the net in the final 10
minutes to complete a ruthless rout, while Jamal Musiala made a welcome late
return from a six-month injury layoff.
Leipzig goalscorer Romulo cut a frustrated figure
afterwards, admitting his side lost focus late on.
“We played really well for about 75 minutes, then I
don’t know what happened,” he said. “We turned off our minds. We have to learn
from this.”
Can Rescues Dortmund in Stoppage-Time
Drama
Earlier on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund needed a
dramatic stoppage-time penalty from captain Emre Can to secure a tense 3–2 home
victory over struggling St Pauli.
VAR intervened deep into added time to award Dortmund
a penalty after Maximilian Beier was fouled on the edge of the box. Can held
his nerve from the spot to spare the hosts’ blushes.
“What a rollercoaster ride,” Can told Sky Germany. “We
need to do much better in settling games and converting our chances.”
Dortmund had taken control through Julian Brandt’s
close-range finish just before half-time and doubled their lead in the 54th
minute when Karim Adeyemi converted Fabio Silva’s assist.
However, bottom-placed St Pauli stunned the hosts with
a spirited comeback as James Sands and Ricky-Jade Jones struck within 10
minutes midway through the second half to level the contest.
Jones’ late challenge on Beier ultimately proved
costly, handing Dortmund a lifeline from the penalty spot.
Hoffenheim Boost European Hopes as
Leverkusen Slip
Elsewhere, Hoffenheim climbed into third place with a
1–0 home win over struggling Bayer Leverkusen, thanks to an early free-kick
from Wouter Burger.
Burger curled home the decisive set-piece after nine
minutes to secure all three points.
“That was an important one,” Burger said. “I was
practising free-kicks this morning.”
Hoffenheim, who battled relegation last season, are
now on course to qualify for the Champions League for only the second time in
their history, having last done so in 2017/18 under current Germany coach
Julian Nagelsmann.
Leverkusen’s poor run continued as they suffered a
fourth defeat in six matches, slipping three points adrift of the Champions
League places.
In other Bundesliga results, Cologne edged Mainz 2–1
at home, Wolfsburg were held to a 1–1 draw by Heidenheim, while Hamburg and
Borussia Mönchengladbach played out a goalless stalemate.
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