Bundesliga leader Bayern holds off late Frankfurt rally

Alsharq Tribune-M.Essam 

FC Bayern Munich survived a tense finish to secure a 3-2 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt and maintains its lead at the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The hosts dictated the early tempo and were rewarded inside the opening quarter of an hour when Aleksandar Pavlovic struck. Following a corner from Michael Olise, Nnamdi Collins inadvertently directed the ball into Pavlovic's path, and the midfielder volleyed into the right corner despite Kaua Santos getting a hand to it.

Four minutes later Bayern doubled its advantage as another Olise delivery was flicked on by Josip Stanisic at the near post, leaving Harry Kane to nod in at the far side.

Frankfurt improved after the restart and Mahmoud Dahoud went close with a header in the 47th minute, but Bayern soon reasserted control despite losing Alphonso Davies to injury, with Hiroki Ito coming on. Kane appeared to settle the contest in the 68th minute, firing precisely from around 22 meters for his second goal.

The visitors refused to fold. In the 77th minute Kane fouled Oscar Hojlund in the area and Jonathan Burkardt converted the resulting penalty. Nine minutes later Joshua Kimmich misplaced a pass under pressure, allowing Arnaud Kalimuendo to reduce the deficit further. Mario Gotze nearly equalized deep in stoppage time, but his effort drifted narrowly over the bar.

The late pressure, however, proved insufficient to deny the league leader another important victory on home soil. The win leaves the German record champion on 60 points at the top, eight clear of Borussia Dortmund, while seventh-placed Frankfurt remains on 31st.

"It felt like it shifted too quickly. The 3-0 was dominant and so was our performance. We gave Frankfurt a penalty and the second goal. They pushed because they sensed we couldn't close it out. In the end, we have the three points. That is football," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany.

Elsewhere, Fabio Silva's late equalizer earned runners-up Borussia Dortmund a 2-2 draw against resilient RB Leipzig. Newly promoted Cologne held third-placed Hoffenheim to a 2-2 stalemate. Union Berlin recorded their first win of 2026 with a 1-0 victory over sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen. Augsburg came from behind to claim a 3-2 away success at Wolfsburg. On Friday, Mainz and Hamburg shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.