Bayern's very Harry Christmas

Kane extends incredible scoring streak with brace in Bavarian giant's 'best game of the year'

MUNICH, Germany — Harry Kane said Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over fourth-placed Stuttgart was the team's "best game of the year so far", after the reigning champion moved back within four points of Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen.

Kane scored twice and now has 20 goals from just 14 league matches since joining Bayern in the summer from Tottenham.

"It's probably our best game so far this year against a really tough side," Kane told reporters.

"Obviously they're right behind us in the league, big game just before the winter break, and we were dominant through the whole game.

"They had very few chances, we had countless chances, we could have scored a few more."

Bayern came into the match missing several first-team players through injury or illness, including Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and Noussair Mazraoui.

Leverkusen's 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, who beat Bayern 5-1 last weekend, before kickoff meant the Bavarian side was in danger of falling further behind Xabi Alonso's men.

"Bayer Leverkusen are still going strong, they're still up there, four points ahead, so we just have to win as many games as possible," added Kane, who is still waiting to win the first trophy of his career.

"There's still a long way to go, we're not even halfway through the season yet so you can't get carried away.

"We needed to show a reaction after last week, which I think we did."

Bayern takes on Wolfsburg on Wednesday in its final game before Germany's two-week winter break.

"Hopefully we can get the three points on Wednesday and we can get to the break in a good position," added Kane. "From January is where the business end starts."

Leverkusen, with 21 wins and three draws from 24 games in all competitions, is undefeated this season.

"They've started the season strong, but we can't focus on them, we have to focus on us," said Kane. "We've only had one loss in the league — we just need to keep that up."

"It was pretty intense today," Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said of his side's injury crisis. "I tried to stay very calm and keep my distance on the sidelines to give the players a bit more trust.

"Today was very good, but it's not over, we've got another game."

Bayern had two more goals struck off for offside in the opening half but Kane doubled up early in the second, heading in from close range from a freekick.

Kim Min-jae was next to score, heading in from another set piece for his first goal in Bayern colors, sealing the game for the home side.

Bayern sits four points behind Leverkusen and has a game in hand, against 15th-placed Union Berlin, in January.

Brilliant Boniface

Earlier on Sunday, Nigeria striker Victor Boniface scored and laid on two assists as Leverkusen beat Frankfurt 3-0, continuing his side's hopes of a maiden Bundesliga title.

Before the match, the Leverkusen fans unveiled a huge Christmas wish list, calling on the club to make its Bundesliga title dreams come true.

"We've won nothing yet. After half a year nobody wins anything, especially not a league title," Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka told DAZN.

"We've got another game midweek (against Bochum) and then we go on holiday, where we need to be careful what we do. Then we'll come back and step on the gas ahead of the rest of the season."

Boniface squeezed a low shot under Kevin Trapp to open the scoring 14 minutes in.

The Nigerian then created Jeremie Frimpong's goal early in the second half, his shot rebounding off Trapp and landing perfectly for the Dutch international to slam home.

The 22-year-old, who is almost certain to be selected for Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations bid in January, then helped seal the result, finding Florian Wirtz in space for Leverkusen's third.

Wirtz, who was again superb while pulling the strings in midfield, hit the crossbar with 10 minutes left.

Frankfurt has won just one of its past eight matches in all competitions — the previous Saturday's surprising 5-1 thrashing of Bayern.

Elsewhere, Freiburg's Michael Gregoritsch and Roland Sallai came off the bench to secure a 2-0 home win over 10-man Cologne.

Agencies