bundesliga

Harry Kane raises bar once again as Bayern Munich beat Heidenheim

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Harry Kane set a new Bundesliga record in Bayern Munich’s 4-2 win over Heidenheim at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, striking twice to become the first player ever to score 17 goals in the first 11 games of a top-flight season.

Bayern 4-2 Heidenheim
Goals: 1-0 Kane 14' (assist: Sané), 2-0 Kane 44' (assist: Sané), 2-1 Kleindienst 67' (assist: Dinkçi), 2-2 Beste (70'), 3-2 Guerreiro 72' (assist: Choupo-Moting), 4-2 Choupo-Moting 85' (assist: Tel)

Heidenheim began determined not to let Thomas Tuchel’s side have things all their own way and had an early chance through Jan Schöppner from Tim Kleindienst’s headed cut-back, but it was blocked. That was about as good as it got for the visitors in the first 45 minutes though, with Bayern soon asserting themselves on the game. Leroy Sané had a volley blocked on 11 minutes as they began to find their rhythm, and it was the Germany international who created the opening goal for Kane, scurrying down the right wing before playing the ball inside to the 30-year-old, who turned his marker and smashed the ball high into the net. There were further chances for Laimer, Sané and Bouna Sarr before Kane netted his historic goal on the stroke of half-time, heading in from a Sané corner to beat Robert Lewandowski’s record of 16 goals in 11 games.

Heidenheim were more aggressive after the interval, perhaps wary of Darmstadt’s recent visit to the Allianz Arena in which they conceded eight goals in the second half. Their approach worked too, as they limited Bayern’s chances in front of goal to just one opening for Kane, who uncharacteristically scuffed his shot with just Kevin Müller to beat. It proved to be a key moment in the game, as shortly afterwards the visitors pulled one back through Kleindienst, who finished off a clinical counter-attack. More was to come just seconds later when a loose pass from Minjae Kim went straight to Jan-Niklas Beste, who made no mistake from the edge of the box. Parity was short-lived, however, as Raphael Guerreiro powered in his first goal for Bayern from 16 yards to restore Bayern’s advantage. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting put the seal on the win in the closing stages with a fine header from Mathys Tel's cross to confirm a deserved victory for the regining champions.

Match stats

  • Bayern academy graduate Aleksandar Pavlovic made his first competitive start for the senior side here.
  • Bouna Sarr made his first Bayern start since April 2021, while Serge Gnabry returned after breaking his arm in the DFB Cup first round in September.
  • Alphonso Davies was rested for the first time this season, having previously started all 17 of the team's competitive games in 2023/24.
  • Kane set a new Bundesliga record here by scoring his 17th league goal after just 11 games, beating Robert Lewandowski's previous record of 16 at the same juncture. 
  • Sané is joint-top of the assist chart with six now, level with RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons.
  • Bayern have now scored 42 goals after just 11 games, beating their own record of 40 set in 2021/22. 

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Teams

Bayern: Neuer (c) - Sarr, Upamecano (Guerreiro 61'), Kim, Mazraoui - Laimer, Pavlovic (Davies 75') - Sané, Müller (Tel 61'), Gnabry (Choupo-Moting 61') - Kane
Unused subs: Ulreich, Krätzig, Coman
Out:
Buchmann (thigh), De Ligt (knee), Goretzka (muscular), Kimmich (suspended), Musiala (hamstring) 
Coach: Thomas Tuchel 

Heidenheim: Müller - Traoré, Mainka (c), Gimber (Schimmer 83'), Föhrenbach - Schöppner, Maloney (Sessa 61'), Theuerkauf (Beck 61') - Dinkçi (Pick 83'), Beste (Thomalla 90') - Kleindienst
Unused subs: Eicher, Busch, Siersleben, Dovedan 
Out: Keller (knee), Pieringer (ankle), Qenaj (knee)
Coach: 
Frank Schmidt