BERLIN — Harry Kane had been poised at the touchline, ready to join in the celebration of what would have been his inaugural career title. However, Yussuf Poulsen found the net for Leipzig, resulting in a 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich, an outcome that delayed the Bundesliga leader’s celebrations on Saturday. With the last kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Bayern’s would-be celebrations were abruptly halted.
Thomas Müller of Bayern expressed, “I fully feel like a champion, just we’re not yet.” Despite the interruption, Bayern remains on the brink of securing the championship. Mathematically, Bayer Leverkusen can still challenge the Bavarian powerhouse by winning its remaining three matches and overturning a goal difference of 30 — which requires Bayern to lose its final two games.
Kane, at 31, remains in limbo for his first significant trophy, a professional journey marked by near successes and letdowns. Suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, he watched his team take on Leipzig from the stands. Leipzig commenced strongly, seizing a halftime lead through goals by Benjamin Šeško and Lukas Klostermann, which left Kane watching with a stoic expression.
During the break, Bayern’s coach, Vincent Kompany, apparently offered the right motivation. England’s Eric Dier headed a goal back from a Michael Olise corner in the 62nd minute, with Olise equalizing moments later after a lapse from Leipzig. Leipzig’s goalie, Maarten Vandevoordt, blocked strikes from Leroy Sané and Leon Goretzka, and Konrad Laimer’s attempt soared over the bar against his previous club before Sané took advantage of Bayern’s openings, delivering a precision shot inside the far post at the 83-minute mark.
Fireworks erupted among Bayern fans, and Kane stood ready to rush onto the field with his teammates until Xavi assisted Poulsen in leveling the score at the final whistle. “We’re almost champions,” commented Bayern’s sporting director, Christoph Freund, describing the game as “a spectacle.” Bayern’s title victory may only be briefly delayed, contingent on Leverkusen’s performance against Freiburg on Sunday.
In the Champions League race, Borussia Dortmund’s resurgence under new coach Niko Kova? gained momentum with a 4-0 triumph over Wolfsburg, courtesy of doubles from Serhou Guirassy and Karim Adeyemi. Guirassy’s opener came in the third minute, his season tally reaching 19 by the 59th minute. While only Kane boasts more Bundesliga goals, with nine penalty conversions among them, Guirassy’s 17 goals from open play are only surpassed by Leverkusen’s Patrick Schick, who has 19.
Adeyemi added to Dortmund’s tally with two goals in the 69th and 73rd minutes, securing the team’s fourth consecutive victory across all competitions and elevating them to the crucial fourth spot for Champions League qualification, a position Freiburg hopes to reclaim on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Borussia Mönchengladbach witnessed a thrilling 4-4 draw with Hoffenheim, Union Berlin fought back from two goals down to level 2-2 with Werder Bremen, and Stuttgart edged St. Pauli 1-0, thanks to a late goal from Nick Woltemade after missing an earlier penalty saved by Nikola Vasilj. St. Pauli ended the match with nine players as Siebe Van der Heyden received a second yellow for conceding the penalty, followed by goalkeeper Vasilj’s quick subsequent yellow cards for dissent during stoppage time.