Harry Kane broke the record for most goals scored by a debutant in a Bundesliga season as Bayern Munich secured a 5-2 comeback win at bottom club Darmstadt to draw themselves within seven points of leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
The England captain was replaced after colliding with a post late in a contest in which Tim Skarke opened the scoring against the run of play in the 28th minute before his goal was cancelled out by the first of two from Jamal Musiala.
Kane, who earned an assist for the equaliser, nodded home his historic 31st goal in the German top flight before the break, when Oscar Vilhelmsson also came inches away with a crossbar-clipping effort.
Darmstadt lost momentum after Musiala extended Bayern’s advantage with a 64th-minute strike before Serge Gnabry and Mathys Tel added their names to the scoresheet, with Vilhelmsson only able to claw back a stoppage-time consolation.
Bayern quickly got down to business with early efforts from Eric Dier, Joshua Kimmich and Kane, narrowly escaping danger when, despite dominating with over 80 per cent possession in the first 20 minutes, Mathias Honsak’s sharply deflected effort forced Manuel Neuer into an alert palmed save.
Darmstadt took an unlikely lead from a sequence that began with a lovely long ball from deep inside the hosts’ half, eventually allowing the agile Honsak to evade a pair of Bayern defenders and release Skarke, who slotted past Neuer into the bottom right.
Bayern looked to reply quickly as Musiala completely missed his target with a close-range header, but he made no mistake when Aleksandar Pavlovic pulled the ball back to Kane, who took a loose touch before teeing up Musiala’s low finish.
The England captain handed Bayern the lead on the stroke of half-time with an historic header from Kimmich’s cross, the goal standing after a VAR review and the lead preserved at the break after Vilhelmsson could only rattle the crossbar with his attempt at an equaliser.
Musiala extended Bayern’s advantage with a fine bit of footwork to weave through a sea of blue shirts before sending a strike through Schuhen’s legs, the ball appearing to deflect off the foot of the Darmstadt keeper.
It was Musiala who set up Gnabry for Bayern’s fourth, playing through the substitute who slotted home three minutes after his 71st-minute introduction, then came inches away from a hat-trick when he clipped the crossbar from the right.
Kane crashed into a post as he looked to tuck in the rebound and was eventually replaced by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in what Gareth Southgate will hope was a precautionary measure after he was seen hobbling around the pitch.
Eight minutes of stoppage time were not going to be enough for Darmstadt especially after Tel bundled home, but Vilhelmsson did his best to send the home supporters home happier when he snatched back a late consolation with a flicked finish.
Sporting CP boss Amorim apologises for holding West Ham talks
Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim has publicly apologised for holding talks with West Ham, who view the 39-year-old as a contender to replace David Moyes at the end of the season.
This week, widespread reports said Amorim had travelled to London for talks with the West Ham hierarchy, as they weigh up their options ahead of Moyes' contract expiring in June.
Moyes delivered the Europa Conference League trophy to the London Stadium last season but has long struggled to win over sections of the Hammers' fanbase, and a poor run of form has seen their hopes of European qualification fade in recent weeks.
Amorim, who led Sporting to the Primeira Liga crown in 2020-21 and looks likely to oversee another title triumph this term, has also been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool in the past.
He was roundly criticised for making the trip to London while still under contract, and on Saturday he admitted the visit was a mistake.
"So, let's get the elephant out of the room and I'll talk about it once," Amorim said in a press conference to preview Sunday's trip to Porto.
"The first thing is to say that the club was aware of my trip. It's important and changes the context.
"Then, let's talk about the 'cloak of secrecy' that surrounded the trip... I 'secretly' parked the car outside, secretly walked past 15 people and took photographs, then got on a plane behind the club's back.
"It didn't happen in secret or without permission. Obviously my trip was a mistake, the timing was completely wrong, it didn't seem right at the time.
"It was wrong, especially when I'm so demanding with my players and always the first to say that each one's actions can overpower the team. I have removed players from the squad for much less.
"It was my mistake, I have to accept it and live with it. It didn't seem so bad at the time but thinking about it later, it's very clear.
"Now it's time to move on. I apologise to the Sporting fans, the staff and, mainly, to my players for the mistake I made."
Wilder laments "complete lack of leadership" as Blades' relegation confirmed
Chris Wilder feels his Sheffield United side's "complete lack of leadership" has been a key factor in their relegation from the Premier League.
The Blades will be playing Championship football next term after a dismal one-season return to the Premier League in which they have won just three of their 35 league outings.
Sheffield United's 25th league defeat of the season confirmed their relegation as they were hammered 5-1 away at Newcastle United on Saturday despite Anel Ahmedhodzic putting them in front at St James' Park.
A drubbing ensued after Alexander Isak's leveller, and the final whistle condemned the Blades to the second tier with three games to spare.
In Wilder's view, the club needs to rectify a lack of on-field guidance if the Blades are to bounce straight back up, embodied by the tough outing at St James' Park.
Wilder told the BBC's Match of the Day. "There are plenty of games where we have been put to bed early but today we should have been 3-0 up at half-time. I'm scratching my head that it was 1-1.
"Newcastle up their game and get a head of steam. Then our old mistakes start to fall in and goals go from two to three to four to five pretty quickly.
"There's a reason why that happens. It's an incredibly young side and there is a complete lack of leadership out there. I thought at times I was going to have a heart attack in terms of trying to get the messages on."
Wilder acknowledged there could be tough times ahead for the club, though he hopes he retains the trust of the fans having been brought in for his second spell as Blades manager midway through the season following the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom.
"It's going to be a tough summer for everybody," Wilder continued. "We have not been good enough. The league has been too powerful for us right the way through the season.
"Sheffield United is a really good football club. I think everyone understands that but it's been a really poor season.
"I've still got another year left of my contract. I'd like to think that the supporters can trust me. I'm enthusiastic and committed along with my coaching staff to get it right. We know exactly what direction we need to go, what the culture is going to look like, what pre-season is going to look like."
Huddersfield Town all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off fate is decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellows strugglers Birmingham City.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
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