Harry Kane (top) of Bayern Munich shoots during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, Germany, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)
BERLIN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Bayern Munich returned to winning ways and ended its three-game losing run after Harry Kane's last-gasp 2-1 winner stunned resilient Leipzig in the 23rd round on Saturday.
The struggling German giants started powerfully and pressed Leipzig onto the back foot as goalkeeper Janis Blaswich tipped Kane's header to the woodwork in the fifth minute before denying Leroy Sane's effort from a tight angle at the half-hour mark.
Leipzig couldn't do damage to Bayern's defence while Kane and Sane produced half chances in the closing stages of the first half.
The Red Bull piled on the pressure after the restart as Neuer had to defuse the efforts from Amadou Haidara, Mohamed Simakan and Xavi in quick succession.
Bayern punished Leipzig's wastefulness in front of the target and opened the scoring in the 56th minute when Jamal Musiala's good build-up work allowed Kane to tap home from a sharp angle.
Leipzig remained unimpressed though and continued to create chances, but Benjamin Sesko lacked in accuracy twice at the hour mark.
Sesko remained in the thick of things and eventually restored parity in the 70th minute after Leon Goretzka deflected the shot from the Slovenian striker, leaving Neuer hapless.
The hosts remained active and dangerous as Kane headed over the target from a promising position before England's record goalscorer wrapped his brace and his 27th goal of the season to flabbergast Leipzig in injury time.
With the result, second placed Bayern sit eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen while fifth-placed Leipzig missed the chance to jump into the top four.
"We played very well in the first half but failed to score. We then scored in the second half just when Leipzig was taking over. Leipzig is a strong side and made it an evenly balanced encounter. Overall, a deserved victory for us," commented Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel.
In the other matches, Stuttgart's four-game winning streak came to an end as struggling Cologne snatched a 1-1 draw thanks to Eric Martel's equalizer.
Borussia Monchengladbach trashed Bochum 5-2 to record the sixth win of the season.
Heidenheim secured a 2-2 draw at Berlin while last-placed Darmstadt played out a 1-1 stalemate with Werder Bremen. ■
Harry Kane (L) of Bayern Munich celebrates scoring with his teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, Germany, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)
Jamal Musiala (C) of Bayern Munich vies with Benjamin Henrichs (L) and Dani Olmo of RB Leipzig during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, Germany, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)
Aleksandar Pavlovic (R) of Bayern Munich vies with Xaver Schlager of RB Leipzig during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, Germany, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)
Joshua Kimmich (R) of Bayern Munich vies with Xavi Simons of RB Leipzig during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, Germany, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)
Harry Kane (2nd R) of Bayern Munich shoots to score during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, Germany, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)
Harry Kane (2nd L) of Bayern Munich shoots to score during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, Germany, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)
Jamal Musiala (top) of Bayern Munich vies with Amadou Haidara of RB Leipzig during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, Germany, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)
