Harry Kane hits scoring milestone in Bayern’s Der Klassiker win

Saturday’s Der Klassiker, the rivalry between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, offered another reminder that the center of power in German soccer is based firmly in Bavaria. Six-time European champions Bayern prevailed 3-2 against the second-placed team in the Bundesliga, tightening their grip on the German title.

Unlike previous, more one-sided derby games, Dortmund focused on maintaining a solid defense and it nearly paid off. Against the odds, Dortmund took the lead midway through the first half when Nico Schlotterbeck opened the scoring.

Dortmund almost went down to ten men after a nasty tackle by Schlotterbeck on Josip Stanisic’s shin, but Dortmund managed to clip the wings of the champions. Michael Olise and Luis Díaz on the flanks were largely neutralized and Bayern’s midfielders struggled to connect with striker Harry Kane, who was barely involved in the first 45 minutes.

However, everyone in the Westphalian coliseum knew that their eternal rivals hadn’t had their last word. And they needed barely ten minutes of the second half to put them to the test. A Joshua Kimmich cross found Serge Gnabry, who headed the ball back across goal for Kane to finish. Soon after, Schlotterbeck was punished for a foul on Stanisic in the box and Kane made no mistake from the penalty spot.

There were 20 minutes left to play in western Germany and Signal Iduna Park felt like a funeral, but the home side drew level in the final stages when a Daniel Svensson volley cannoned into the back of the net. The entire stadium rose to its feet, cheering their team on louder than ever as they sensed that there could still be life left in the German title race.

But that hope lasted a matter of minutes, until Joshua Kimmich volleyed home a rebound in the 87th minute to give Bayern the win and an 11-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table. Kane’s brace takes him to 45 club goals this season, a new record for the prolific Englishman. Still in February, there are plenty more goals on offer for Kane if Bayern continue to compete on all fronts.

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