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E-mail Xinhua, January 26, 2025
Goals from Harry Kane and Kim Min-Jae secured Bayern Munich a 2-1 victory over Freiburg, while second-placed Bayer Leverkusen dropped points in a 2-2 draw with RB Leipzig during the 19th round of the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Bayern started brightly, with Jamal Musiala rattling the woodwork with a 20-meter strike before Harry Kane broke the deadlock in the 15th minute. The English forward netted his 17th goal of the season, beating Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu with a precise low shot.
Despite dominating possession, Bayern struggled to create further chances, while the hosts offered little in attack, leaving the first half short on excitement.
After the break, Bayern capitalized on another lapse in Freiburg's defense as Kim Min-Jae doubled the lead in the 54th minute, heading in from Joshua Kimmich's corner.
The German champions had an opportunity to extend their advantage just four minutes later, but Serge Gnabry fired wide from a promising position.
Freiburg then came to life, with Lucas Holer's header forcing a save from Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer around the hour mark. Moments later, the hosts halved the deficit when Matthias Ginter outjumped Kim to head home Ritsu Doan's corner.
The closing stages saw Freiburg pile on the pressure, but Bayern's defense held firm, ensuring they left with all three points.
The win extended Bayern's lead at the top of the table to six points, while Freiburg dropped to 10th place.
"I knew this game wouldn't be easy. We expected to have to fight for the win, and that's exactly what we did," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany. "It wasn't our best performance, but it was one of our most important victories."
Elsewhere, RB Leipzig came from 2-0 down to snatch a point against defending champions Bayer Leverkusen. A late own goal from the wasteful Leverkusen side earned the hosts a share of the points. Mainz returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win over Stuttgart thanks to goals from Nelson Weiper and Anthony Caci.
A 10-man Borussia Dortmund ended their losing streak but saw a two-goal lead evaporate as Werder Bremen came from behind to snatch a point. Augsburg made it three wins in a row with a 2-1 win at Heidenheim and Borussia Monchengladbach beat bottom side Bochum 3-0.
