Harry Kane scored for the seventh consecutive game as Bayern Munich secured a 2-1 home victory over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, marking their 11th win in 11 matches across all competitions this season.
The win extended Bayern’s flawless start, keeping them five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with 21 points from seven games.
Dortmund, meanwhile, sit fourth, trailing Bayern by seven points.
For Kane, his 104th goal for Bayern was also the 400th of his club career. This season, he has netted 19 goals in 11 appearances across all competitions, including 12 in the league.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany deployed Kane in the number 10 role behind Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson, who made his third start for the club.
Kane immediately demonstrated his creativity, threading key passes to wingers Luis Diaz and Michael Olise, both of whom created strong chances within the first 10 minutes.
The England captain opened the scoring in classic fashion, nodding home a poacher’s goal from a corner in the 21st minute.
After dominating the first half, Bayern ceded momentum as Dortmund improved in the second half. Dortmund came close to equalizing when Serhou Guirassy capitalized on a Bayern error and set up Karim Adeyemi, who unfortunately slipped as he tried to shoot.
Late substitute Jude Bellingham hesitated in the box, allowing Olise to slide in and score Bayern’s second with 11 minutes remaining.
Dortmund pulled one back in the 84th minute through Julian Brandt, who managed to connect with a dangerous Julian Ryerson cross, but their late surge wasn’t enough to find an equalizer.
Grimaldo scores twice as Leverkusen edge Mainz 4-3
Alex Grimaldo’s brace helped Bayer Leverkusen to a thrilling 4-3 victory at Mainz, extending their unbeaten streak to eight games as they prepare for an upcoming European clash against reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Leverkusen moved up to fifth in the Bundesliga, level on points with Dortmund.
Grimaldo opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 11th minute, and Christian Kofane doubled their lead with a well-placed low shot midway through the first half.
Leverkusen’s defense faltered in the 34th minute when Loic Bade’s clearance deflected off a teammate, gifting Mainz’s Lee Jae-sung an easy goal.
Just before halftime, Mainz were forced into an error, which Jonas Hofmann exploited to win a penalty. Grimaldo converted the spot-kick to make it 3-1, marking his sixth goal in 10 games this season.
Martin Terrier put Leverkusen 4-2 up with three minutes left, but Mainz’s Armindo Sieb quickly responded, setting up a tense finish.
Despite dropping seven points this season after scoring first in every match, Leverkusen held on for the win.
“After a bumpy start, we’re now picking up points,” Hofmann told Sky. “We want to keep building and find our footing with our new coach, Kasper Hjulmand.”
Hjulmand, who replaced Erik ten Hag in early September, continues to steady the team’s performance.
RB Leipzig recorded a 2-1 home win against promoted Hamburg, with Christoph Baumgartner scoring both goals for the hosts either side of an Albert Sambi Lokonga strike.
After a heavy 6-0 defeat to Bayern in their opener, Leipzig have since won five and drawn one, climbing to second place.
Stuttgart also rose to third with a 3-0 win at Wolfsburg, thanks to goals from former Wolfsburg player Tiago Tomas and Germany internationals Maximilian Mittelstaedt and Angelo Stiller.
Cologne continued their strong form with a 1-1 home draw against Augsburg, while Werder Bremen came from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw at Heidenheim.
AFP
