Leroy Sane saved Bayern Munich‘s blushes on Saturday by scoring two goals in the second half as the Bundesliga leaders defeated St. Pauli, who were in danger of relegation, 3-2 to maintain their six-point lead at the top of the table.
Sane calmed Bayern after a tense first half in which Vincent Kompany’s team once again faltered against less formidable opposition.
Bayern was under pressure to avoid a third lapse after dropping surprise points against Union Berlin and Bochum in recent weeks. On Friday, defending champions Bayer Leverkusen closed the gap to three points with a 3-1 victory against Bochum.
But against a courageous St. Pauli team, who nearly took the lead early on when a header from Jackson Irvine struck the bar, they were lethargic.
After barely two minutes, Siebe Van der Heyden, the left-back, was caught dozing off at left-back, giving Bayern the lead.
Bayern surged into the area after Jamal Musiala robbed Van van Heyden of possession, allowing Harry Kane to swipe the ball in from close range.
Credit: TheScore.com
Kane’s goal against St. Pauli was his first, and he now has goals against every Bundesliga team he has faced.
Elias Saad gave the visitors a well-earned equaliser shortly before the interval, and they were unharmed.
To score his first goal since September, the Tunisian attacker poked in a cross from Manolis Saliakas while hiding in the Bayern box.
A deft change of play gave Sane acres of room on the left, and he hammered the ball in uncontested to reclaim the lead after halftime.
Twenty minutes from the end, he completed the victory by converting a close-range Kane cross following a brutal Bayern transition.
However, Lars Ritzka’s goal for St. Pauli in additional time meant that Bayern still had to endure a nerve-wracking last few minutes.
– Blow for Leipzig –
At Borussia Moenchengladbach, RB Leipzig lost 1-0, dealing them a severe blow in the battle for Champions League spots.
With a goal from Alassane Plea, Gladbach stole a crucial three points and moved ahead of Leipzig into fifth place.
Werder Bremen’s resounding 3-0 victory over bottom-place Holstein Kiel moved them up to mid-table, surpassing Borussia Dortmund.
Bremen took the lead in the first half thanks to a fantastic free kick from Marvin Ducksch that deftly angled into the top corner.
Marco Gruell made it three in extra time after Felix Agu’s equally beautiful finish of curling the ball under the bar from the edge of the penalty area extended the lead after the interval.
Kiel is now five points outside of safety after fellow struggling team Heidenheim defeated Wolfsburg 1-0 on the road due to a penalty kick from Marvin Pieringer in the first half.
In the 1-1 draw between Augsburg and Hoffenheim, Samuel Essende of Augsburg scored the fastest goal ever by a substitute, shattering a Bundesliga record.
Andrej Kramaric equalised from the penalty spot midway in the second half, breaking Augsburg custodian Finn Dahmen’s 683-minute run without giving up a goal. Essende had only scored 10 seconds after entering the game after halftime.
