European football: Kane edges Bayern past Frankfurt, Como stun Juventus

Harry Kane’s double carried Bayern Munich to a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt and opened an eight-point cushion atop the Bundesliga, while Juventus slumped to a shock 2-0 home defeat against Como that leaves their Champions League qualification hopes hanging by a thread.

Allianz Arena, Munich – Saturday

Bayern seized control inside the opening quarter-hour when 19-year-old midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović arrowed a first-time volley into the net from the edge of the area. Four minutes later Kane stole in front of his marker to glance Michael Olise’s corner inside the far post for 2-0. The England captain was not finished: on 68 minutes he punished a loose back-pass, shifting the ball onto his right foot and curling a precise finish inside the left upright for his 28th league goal of the campaign.

Frankfurt refused to fold. Jonathan Burkardt rolled in a 75th-minute penalty after Kane had upended Oscar Højlund, and substitute Arnaud Kalimuendo pounced on a defensive miscommunication four minutes from time to halve the deficit again. The closing seconds were fraught, but Bayern protected their lead to register a 19th win in 23 Bundesliga fixtures and briefly stretch the gap to nine points before Borussia Dortmund trimmed it back to eight with a dramatic 2-2 draw at RB Leipzig.

Allianz Stadium, Turin – Saturday

Juventus entered the weekend in fourth, yet their form line read zero wins in four outings and nerves were evident from the outset. The visitors, sixth-placed Como, needed only 12 minutes to strike when Mergim Vojvoda’s low drive slipped through goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio’s gloves after Weston McKennie had ceded possession cheaply in midfield.

Whistles greeted the teams at the interval, and the mood darkened on 61 minutes when Lucas Da Cunha surged clear down the left and squared for Maxence Caqueret to slide in the second. Juve could find no response, sinking to a third consecutive defeat across all competitions and a fifth match without victory. They remain fifth, a point behind Roma ahead of the Giallorossi’s Sunday meeting with Cremonese, while Como climb level on points with their vanquished hosts.

Around the continent

La Liga’s summit was shaken as Real Madrid, leading the table, fell 2-1 at Osasuna. Ante Budimir’s first-half penalty and Raúl García’s spectacular 90th-minute winner overturned Vinícius Júnior’s 73rd-minute equaliser, leaving Madrid just two points ahead of Barcelona ahead of the Catalans’ Sunday clash with Levante.

Atlético Madrid arrested their own slide with a 4-2 defeat of Espanyol, Alexander Sørloth scoring twice to keep Diego Simeone’s side fourth, 12 points off the pace.

In Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain returned to the summit after a 3-0 dismissal of bottom club Metz, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola striking inside the first half. The result lifted Luis Enrique’s side to 54 points from 23 matches, two clear of Lens, who squandered a two-goal advantage in a 3-2 home loss to Monaco.

Serie A leaders Inter stretched their advantage to 10 points with a 2-0 win at Lecce, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Manuel Akanji scoring late to extend the Nerazzurri’s league winning streak to seven.