Kane double sends Bayern nine points clear after late Frankfurt scare

Harry Kane struck his eighth brace of the season as Bayern Munich beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 on Saturday to stretch their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to nine points over Borussia Dortmund.

The holders ⁠are on 60 points, with ⁠Dortmund, who have a game in hand and face RB Leipzig later on Saturday, trailing in second place.

Bayern made their intentions clear early on. In the 16th minute ⁠Aleksandar Pavlovic fired in a volley from the edge of the box after a rebound, his effort slipping through the grasp of Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos and nestling just inside the bottom left corner.

Kane doubled the advantage four minutes later. Michael Olise swung in a corner to the near post, where a flick by Josip Stanisic sent the ball into the six-yard box and Kane ghosted between defenders to nod home.

The match slowed down under Munich's heavy ⁠rain ⁠and Frankfurt had their chance to respond but Jonathan Burkardt struck the post from close range before Kane delivered another blow in the 68th minute.

After a defensive error as the visitors tried to play out from the back, the England captain seized possession on the edge of the area, turned sharply and curled a shot inside the left post for his second of the ⁠afternoon.

The double highlighted Kane's rich vein of form — nine goals in six consecutive matches in all competitions — and lifted his league tally to 28 and 43 overall this season.

Bayern, however, allowed Frankfurt a route back into the match. In the 75th minute Kane conceded a penalty after catching Oscar Hojlund's foot attempting to clear a corner. Burkardt blasted ⁠the spot-kick ‌past ‌22-year-old goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, who started in place ⁠of the injured Manuel Neuer.

Frankfurt closed to ‌within one goal in the 86th minute when a costly mix-up between Joshua Kimmich, Kim Min-Jae and Urbig ⁠under pressure gifted possession to Arnaud Kalimuendo, who ⁠tapped into an empty net.

Bayern held on to secure the points ⁠and tighten their grip on top spot with their 19th win in 23 league games this season.