Bayern Munich narrowed their gap to Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen to four points, thanks to a commanding 3-0 win against VfB Stuttgart, led by a stellar performance from top scorer Harry Kane.
Kane, who joined Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur this season as the league’s all-time record signing, continued his remarkable form by scoring twice, bringing his tally to 20 goals in just 14 league games.
Kane’s achievement places him in an elite group, becoming only the third player in Bundesliga history to hit 20 goals by the season’s midpoint, joining the ranks of legends Robert Lewandowski and Gerd Müller.
Adding to Bayern’s accolades, the team equaled a league record by scoring in their 64th consecutive Bundesliga home game, a feat last achieved by the club between 1970 and 1974.
Despite missing key players Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka due to last-minute illnesses, Bayern secured the victory, taking their points tally to 35 with a game in hand, while Leverkusen leads with 39 points after their win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Reflecting on the match, Kane said, “It was probably our best performance of the season so far. We wanted to be dominant. We knew how dangerous they were and we limited them to just a few chances. It was great to score twice and help the team.”
The Bundesliga will pause after next week’s games, resuming on January 12.
Bayern, eager to rebound from their previous 5-1 defeat to Frankfurt, opened the scoring against Stuttgart within two minutes, courtesy of Kane’s finish off a Leroy Sane assist.
Dominating the match, Bayern missed numerous opportunities, with Stuttgart’s goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel consistently tested.
Kane’s second goal, a header from an Aleksandar Pavlovic cross, came in the 55th minute. Bayern’s dominance was further stamped when Kim Min-Jae’s deflected header found the net eight minutes later, extinguishing any hopes of a Stuttgart comeback in Bayern’s final home game of the year.