Bundesliga: Harry Kane's brace guides Bayern Munich to 4-2 win, Borussia Dortmund suffer consecutive defe
Source: Timesofindia

NEW DELHI: Harry Kane continued his impressive goal-scoring form by netting another brace as Bayern Munich secured a 4-2 victory over Heidenheim. Despite Kane's goals, Bayern had to overcome a brief scare as Heidenheim mounted a comeback in the second half.Kane, who had already scored twice in the Champions League earlier in the week, opened the scoring in the 14th minute with his 16th Bundesligagoal. He followed it up with his 17th before halftime, demonstrating his clinical finishing abilities.Reflecting on the match, Kane said, "I had a couple in the second half I probably should have finished. The two I scored were probably harder than the two I missed. But that's football sometimes, that's the way it goes. I'm just enjoying playing with this team."The English captain's first goal came from Leroy Sane's pass, where he skillfully turned amid defenders with his back to goal and found the net with a precise shot inside the right post. Kane added his second with a header from Sane's corner before halftime.However, Bayern faced a challenge in the second half as Heidenheim scored two quick goals in three minutes. Tim Kleindienst capitalized on a mistake in midfield to score in the 67th minute, and Jan-Niklas Beste equalized after a botched pass from Bayern's Kim Min-jae. Raphael Guerreiro came to Bayern's rescue with his first goal for the team, scoring on the rebound after Heidenheim's goalkeeper saved Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's initial effort. Choupo-Moting then sealed the victory in the 85th minute, assisted by Mathys Tel.Bayern Munich's win, their ninth from 11 games, propelled them to the top of the Bundesliga table, one point ahead of Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen has the chance to reclaim the top spot with a victory over Union Berlin on Sunday.Borussia Dortmund's woes continue with 2-1 loss to StuttgartBorussia Dortmund suffered their second consecutive defeat, losing 2-1 to Stuttgart. Serhou Guirassy returned from injury to lead Stuttgart to victory, contributing to Dortmund trailing Bayern Munich by eight points in the Bundesliga.Despite Niclas Fullkrug giving Dortmund the lead in the 36th minute, Stuttgart dominated the game. Deniz Undav equalized for Stuttgart in the 42nd minute, and substitute Guirassy secured the win with a late penalty.The victory was crucial for Stuttgart, having lost their last two league games without Guirassy. The defeat adds to Dortmund's recent struggles, coming on the back of a 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich the previous week.In other Bundesliga fixtures on Saturday, Darmstadt drew 0-0 with Mainz, and Augsburg drew 1-1 with Hoffenheim. The latter match was briefly suspended in the second half after a spectator was injured by a firecracker.(With AP inputs)