Bayern's high-scoring end to the year with Kane against Leipzig

With the return of Harry Kane, Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich celebrated another goal fest at the end of the season with renewed attacking power. The record champions consolidated their position at the top of the table with an unexpectedly clear 5:1 (3:1) win over RB Leipzig in a one-sided top match after a lightning start by both teams. Coach Vincent Kompany's star ensemble go into the new year with at least a four-point lead.

Jamal Musiala gave Bayern the lead after 29 seconds and Benjamin Sesko equalized after 103 seconds in front of 75,000 spectators in the sold-out Allianz Arena, marking a first in the Bundesliga. For the first time, both teams scored in the first two minutes.

Good reaction to Mainz slip-up

After the fastest 1-1 draw in league history, the hosts showed the winning reaction Kompany had hoped for a week after their first defeat in the 2-1 draw in Mainz. Ex-Leipzig man Konrad Laimer (25th minute), Joshua Kimmich (36th), Leroy Sané (75th) and Alphonso Davies (78th) scored almost at will against an astonishingly lackadaisical Leipzig, who already seemed to be in the winter break.

A Kane goal was not even necessary. But the Englishman underlined his importance in the opening seconds, three weeks after tearing a muscle fibre. The star striker passed a ball from Kimmich to Michael Olise, who set up Musiala. The 21-year-old scored for the ninth time in the 13th league game of the season. Musiala had scored even earlier against Kiel in the 6:1 win in September - after 14 seconds.

Timid Leipzig

In contrast to FC Bayern, the visitors, who had dismantled the record champions 3-0 on Kane's debut in the Super Cup in Munich in the summer of 2023, were timid, shy and in the end almost unopposed. There was very little sign of the former Leipzig DNA apart from the equalizer with Sesko's sixth goal of the season after preparatory work from Loïs Openda.

All-rounder Laimer, who was delighted with the birth of his first child the day before the game, set the tone for another Bayern home win at the end of the season after some fine interplay with Olise.

Kane always in focus even without a goal

The 3:1 through Kimmich was symptomatic of Leipzig's poor defensive work. Musiala played in the Munich midfielder, who also used to play for RB, who scored unchallenged from over 20 meters to make it 3-1 at the break. Bayern were able to put up with the fact that Kane failed to score himself after missing four competitive matches on various attempts (16th/39th). Kane left the pitch after 86 minutes to applause from the Munich crowd.

RB coach Marco Rose, who had recently achieved a turnaround in the league season for the first time with two wins in a row, reacted with a system change for the second half. He switched from a back three to a back four.

However, FC Bayern alone had the best chances, missing the early decision several times through Minjae Kim, Musiala, Sané and Olise (50'). However, Bayern then made the glaring difference in performance between the two teams clear in the result.