BERLIN — In a decisive match on Sunday, Bayern Munich solidified their position at the top of the Bundesliga standings with a commanding 4-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt, who currently sit in third place. This win was highlighted by a late goal from substitute Serge Gnabry, who scored in the second minute of stoppage time, sneaking the ball through the legs of Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
The match featured a stunning contribution from Jamal Musiala, who, after maneuvering past multiple defenders, struck a powerful shot past Trapp. This remarkable effort occurred nearly ten minutes before Gnabry’s late goal, marking Bayern’s third of the match.
Bayern Munich was missing their top scorer Harry Kane, who only made a cameo appearance in the last thirty minutes due to a facial injury sustained in a recent draw with Bayer Leverkusen. Despite this setback, Bayern maintained an impressive eight-point lead over the defending champions, Bayer Leverkusen, as they head into the final stretch of the season with just 11 matches remaining.
Coach Vincent Kompany made the tactical decision to bench Kane while implementing six changes to the lineup that had played to a 1-1 draw against Celtic in the Champions League playoffs earlier in the week. Bayern veteran Thomas Müller was designated to lead the attack in Kane’s absence.
Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitiké had a potential scoring opportunity early in the game, capitalizing on a mistake from Hiroki Ito, but it was ultimately Musiala who registered Bayern’s initial attempt on goal, which was remarkably cleared off the line.
Bayern dominated the match, and their control was reflected in a goal from Michael Olise just before halftime. Unfortunately for the home side, Joshua Kimmich had to leave the pitch due to a thigh injury shortly before the opening goal.
The second goal came in the 61st minute from Ito, who found himself unmarked during a corner kick, marking his first goal since joining Bayern. This victory further complicated the Champions League ambitions of RB Leipzig, who earlier in the day played to a 2-2 draw against Heidenheim, a team struggling against relegation. This result allowed Freiburg to occupy the fourth spot, the last position granting Champions League qualification, with Mainz following closely behind on goal difference, despite Leipzig’s presence in the race.
In the later match that day, Stuttgart had the opportunity to leapfrog Leipzig in the standings by securing a win against Hoffenheim.
