Bayern Munich edge out Mainz to stay top of the table
Goals from Joshua Kimmich and Lennart Karl helped Bayern Munich register a 2-1 victory at Mainz on Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign, a result which keeps them top of the table.
Mainz 1-2 Bayern MunichGoals: 0-1 Kimmich 14’ (assist: Kane), 0-2 Karl 57’ (assist: Kane), 1-2 Tietz 90’+3 (assist: Hollerbach)
Mainz, who made four changes from the side that lost to Elversberg last time out, were looking to reverse their fortunes after suffering three successive league defeats.
Bayern, meanwhile, came into this clash having followed up last week's Klassiker draw against Borussia Dortmund with a UEFA Champions League win over Atlético Madrid. Their starting XI included Manuel Neuer, who became the oldest Bayern player of all time on his 550th Bundesliga appearance.
Mainz began brightly, but Bayern soon took control of possession. Despite struggling for chances early on, they broke the deadlock with their first shot on target shortly before the quarter-hour mark.
Harry Kane won the ball after a misplaced Jae-Sung Lee pass and found Kimmich, who drove forward and rifled a shot into the top corner from the edge of the area. Bayern continued to press, with Nathaniel Brown and Dayot Upamecano both denied by Robin Zentner before the half-hour mark.
Shortly before the break, Mainz thought they had equalised when Lee headed in after Neuer had failed to deal with a free-kick, but the goal was ruled out by the video assistant for offside.
Neuer was injured in the same incident and had to be replaced by Jonas Urbig, therefore providing a disappointing end to his milestone afternoon.
Mainz had a decent spell early in the second half without troubling Urbig, but Bayern struck again with a little under an hour on the clock.
Kane's shot was blocked, only for him to poke the loose ball to Karl, who slotted home for his second goal in two competitive games. Zentner then denied Kimmich from a tight angle to keep the score at 2-0.
Watch: Karl celebrates netting Bayern's second
Upamecano headed against the crossbar from a Brown cross as Bayern continued to look for a third.
Deep into stoppage time, Benedict Hollerbach's cross from the left was headed in by Phillip Tietz, beating Jonathan Tah to the ball and finding the net past Urbig. It proved too little, too late, though, as Bayern held on to claim the points.
Man of the Match: Joshua Kimmich
Kimmich opened the scoring with a rifled finish from outside the box and remained a threat throughout, later forcing a save from Zentner from a tight angle.
He was voted Man of the Match by 49 percent of the public vote and posted the highest fantasy manager score of any player on the pitch.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Mainz 0.82 - Bayern Munich 3.25
Fastest player: Alphonso Davies (Bayern), 34.26 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 0:1 by Joshua Kimmich (Bayern), 10 percent
Pass efficiency: Michael Olise (Bayern), +5.61
Fantasy Heroes: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern, 323 Points), Michael Olise (Bayern, 287 Points), Harry Kane (Bayern, 252 Points)
