Harry Kane provided two assists as Bayern Munich beat Mainz to consolidate their place at the top of the Bundesliga.
The 33-year-old Ballon d’Or winner teed up goals for Joshua Kimmich and Lennart Karl to take his assist tally for the season to a league-high eight – equalling his best Bundesliga total, achieved in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns.
Kane also has more assists than any other player in the first nine matchdays of a Bundesliga season since Opta began collecting data in 2004-05.
The England striker is on course to surpass his best tally of 14 assists in a Premier League season, which he recorded with Tottenham in the 2020-21 campaign.
Bayern’s victory left them level on 21 points with second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who beat Elversberg 2-1 at home, but the Bavarian side remain top on goal difference.
Kimmich put the Bundesliga champions ahead in the 14th minute after Mainz defender Danny da Costa stumbled while receiving a pass from Lee Jae-sung.
Kane seized on the loose ball and fed Kimmich, who arrowed a powerful shot from the edge of the box into the top-right corner.
Lee thought he had equalised for Mainz when he headed in after Manuel Neuer had flapped at a free-kick towards the back post.
However, VAR ruled the goal out for offside following a lengthy check.
Neuer, who became Bayern’s oldest-ever Bundesliga player at 40 years and 225 days, was substituted because of injury immediately afterwards.
Bayern added a second before the hour when Kane played the ball into the path of Karl, who swept it home from a tight angle.
Mainz pulled a goal back in added time when Phillip Tietz glanced in a header from Benedict Hollerbach’s cross, but Bayern held on to secure the points.
Credit: bbc.com
