Bayern Munich kept the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, defeating Augsburg at the WWK Arena to hand the Fuggerstädter just a second home head-to-head loss in five games (two wins, one draw).After ending a four-match winless streak last time out (one draw, three losses), Augsburg seemed to carry that new-found momentum into this match, starting strongly and putting the visitors under early pressure. A knockdown from Ermedin Demirović found Elvis Rexhbeçaj, who sent a well-executed finish in from a tight angle, only to see his would-be opener chalked off for offside.23 – Harry Kane erzielte bereits 23 Tore in seiner ersten Bundesliga-Saison beim @FCBayern – nur Luca Toni erzielte 2007/08 mehr Tore in seiner ersten BL-Saison bei den Münchnern (24, Roy Makaay 2003/04 auch 23). Komet. pic.twitter.com/ZuVNCxuLHz— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) January 27, 2024 Bayern responded with Leon Goretzka striking the side-netting before Aleksandar Pavlović netted his first goal for his hometown club, firing home after a corner kick broke to him on just his fourth Bundesliga start. That goal swung the momentum in the champions’ favour, and after Harry Kane came close with a shot across the face of goal, Bayern doubled their lead. Exactly five years to the day since making his Bundesliga debut, Alphonso Davies marked the occasion by drilling in his first club goal of the season, beating Finn Dahmen from distance on the stroke of halftime.Augsburg once again made a fast start after the break, this time producing something more tangible when Demirović connected with Kevin Mbabu’s searching cross, sending a looping header inside the far post beyond the reach of Manuel Neuer to cut the deficit. Less than 10 minutes later, Kane had the ball in the back of the net thanks to a simple tap-in, and although the goal was initially disallowed, a VAR review determined that the ball had been tackled into his path, restoring the Bavarian side’s two-goal lead.An overzealous attempted punch from Neuer caught Felix Uduokhai to hand the Fuggerstädter a late lifeline but the German shot-stopper redeemed himself to push away Sven Michel’s spot-kick. Incredibly, a clumsy Thomas Müller foul handed the hosts another penalty which was this time converted by Demirović in stoppage time, yet it was too late for Augsburg to mount a comeback. Victory for Bayern sees them cut Leverkusen’s lead to just one point at the top of the table with a pivotal visit to the BayArena now on the horizon. As for Augsburg, defeat sees them drop to 12th in the Bundesliga standings, exactly 10 points above the automatic drop zone and 10 points from a European spot.BUNDESLIGA – MATCHDAY 19FridayEintracht Frankfurt – Mainz 1-0 (0-0)/Gotze 73/Saturday Augsburg – Bayern 2-3 (0-2)/Demirovic 52, 94 – Pavlovic 23, Davies 45+5, Kane 58/Hoffenheim – Heidenheim 1-1 (1-1)/Kramaric 45+7 pen – Dinkci 29/Stuttgart – RB Leipzig 5-2 (2-1)/Millot 25 pen, Undav 30, 56, 75, Leweling 48 – Sesko 32, Openda 55/Werder – Freiburg 2-1 (1-1)/Ducksch 9, Njinmah 53, Malatini 90+3 – Grufo 28 pen/Wolfsburg – Koln 1-1 (1-1)/Paredes 40 – Alidou 38/20.30: (1.30) Leverkusen (5.90) M’ gladbach (9.00)Sunday 17.30: (1.65) Union Berlin (4.00) Darmstadt (6.00)19.30: (1.35) Dortmund (5.30) Bochum (8.00)***odds are subject to change
