Harry Kane converted a penalty with three minutes remaining to save Bayern Munich’s blushes in a 2-2 home draw against last-placed Mainz in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Mainz came from a goal down to snatch the lead midway through the second half thanks to an excellent Lee Jae-sung header, putting Bayern on track for a first league defeat since March.
So often Bayern’s saviour this season, Kane won and converted the penalty to keep Vincent Kompany’s side undefeated and extend their lead atop the table to nine points.
Kane told DAZN Bayern would have to take the draw “on the chin”, adding: “We conceded a really silly goal before half-time and that changes the momentum.
“When you play against teams who are fighting for every point, they can defend well, they can defend the box, they can make saves, make blocks -- and that’s what happened.”
Borussia Dortmund’s draw at Freiburg had given Bayern a chance to go further ahead of their rivals with victory against Mainz, who have just one win all season and had coach Urs Fischer making his league debut in the dugout.
Bayern’s teenage forward Lennart Karl continued his impressive form, turning in a Serge Gnabry cutback to give the hosts the lead on 29 minutes.
Kacper Potulski levelled things up when he headed in a William Boving free-kick before half-time. Lee then headed Mainz into an unlikely lead.
As he did when scoring to snatch Bayern a draw against Union Berlin in November -- the only previous time the defending champions had dropped points this season -- England captain Kane was again the late difference-maker for the Bavarians.
Kane went down in the box under a challenge and coolly converted for his 18th league goal this season and his 29th for Bayern in all competitions.
Borussia Dortmund missed a chance to climb past RB Leipzig into second, conceding an equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Freiburg after Jobe Bellingham saw red.
Ramy Bensebaini’s 31st-minute goal had Dortmund in front but Bellingham was sent off for a professional foul shortly after half-time.
The hosts made the most of their one-man advantage, camping out in Dortmund’s half and levelling things up thanks to an acrobatic Lucas Hoeler strike.
“We’re definitely disappointed,” Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel told DAZN.
“If the red card doesn’t happen, the result would look different. We had the game under control and were very dominant.”
Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy missed a header while unmarked in the box five minutes in, continuing his recent dry spell.
Guirassy scored 38 goals in all competitions last season but has just one in his past 10 Bundesliga matches.
The visitors had looked comfortable after Bensebaini’s goal but lost control of the match when Bellingham, as the last man, felled an on-rushing Philipp Treu on the edge of the box.
With Freiburg peppering the Dortmund goal, Kobel made a string of impressive saves but could not keep out Hoeler’s curling strike.
In Sunday’s late game, Stuttgart cruised to a dominant 4-0 win away at a 10-man Werder Bremen to move up to sixth.
Bilal El Khannouss and Jamie Leweling grabbed goals shortly before half-time. Deniz Undav’s second-half goal was his seventh in his past five league matches, while his Germany teammate Chris Fuehrich added another in stoppage time.
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