Bayern Munich closed in on Bayer Leverkusen's lead in the Bundesliga, securing a 3-2 victory against Augsburg in a thrilling encounter on Saturday.
The hosts experienced a mix of emotions in the late stages, with hit-and-miss penalty drama.
Aleksandar Pavlovic and Alphonso Davies gave Bayern a comfortable lead in the first half. Although Augsburg's Ermedin Demirovic narrowed the gap, Harry Kane's goal just before the hour mark secured the crucial three points for Bayern.
Augsburg missed one penalty opportunity, but Demirovic successfully converted another in the final minutes. However, Bayern held on to claim a valuable win in what has become one of the most closely contested Bundesliga title races in years.
Bayer Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso and the last unbeaten team this season, could re-establish a four-point lead with a victory in their late Saturday game against Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Despite Bayern's recent 1-0 win over Union Berlin, they faced challenges with injuries, including Dayot Upamecano's hamstring injury and a growing list of absentees. Eric Dier made his first start, and Alphonso Davies returned to the lineup after being dropped in the midweek match.
The 19-year-old German midfielder, Pavlovic, opened the scoring for Bayern in the 23rd minute, capitalising on Augsburg's failure to clear a corner. Davies extended the lead just before halftime with a powerful shot from a distance.
Demirovic's header early in the second half brought hope for Augsburg, but Kane's goal from Leon Goretzka's cross maintained Bayern's advantage. In the 88th minute, a penalty was awarded to Augsburg after a foul by Manuel Neuer, but the Bayern goalkeeper redeemed himself with a crucial save from Sven Michel's spot-kick. Another penalty was awarded in stoppage time, and this time Demirovic successfully converted, but it proved too late for Augsburg.
Despite the victory, Bayern suffered another blow with an injury to French winger Kingsley Coman. Meanwhile, in a significant clash at the top, Stuttgart thrashed RB Leipzig 5-2, with Deniz Undav scoring a hat-trick, keeping their hopes alive for Champions League qualification. Borussia Dortmund had the chance to overtake Leipzig in the top four with a victory over Bochum on Sunday.
