Bayern edges thriller with Augsburg to maintain title pressure
Bayern Munich beat Bavarian neighbour Augsburg 3-2 in a pulsating contest to keep the pressure on Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen.
Teenager Aleksandar Pavlovic, with his first Bayern goal, and Alphonso Davies put the visitors in command at the interval after Thomas Tuchel’s side had encountered a difficult start.
Harry Kane’s 23rd Bundesliga goal, sandwiched between a Ermedin Demirovic double, eventually proved the difference at a ground where Bayern had lost on its previous two league visits.
Augsburg was left to rue the presence of VAR twice in the opening 12 minutes much to the annoyance of home supporters.
A fifth-minute ball directed towards Demirovic struck the arm of Matthijs de Ligt and a penalty was awarded before a VAR check ruled contact was outside the box.
Augsburg thought it had then taken the lead when Elvis Rexhbecaj drilled past Manuel Neuer from a tight angle, but the midfielder had marginally strayed into an offside position.
Leon Goretzka volleyed wide of a post and Bayern’s improvement produced a 24th minute lead and a moment to remember for 19-year-old Pavlovic.
Raphael Guerreiro corner’s was not properly cleared by Phillip Tietz, and Pavlovic was alert to take a touch before lifting the ball into the roof of the net.
Bayern lost Kingsley Coman to injury and Augsburg had a chance to equalise when Rexhbecaj shot straight at Neuer.
Kane fired wide from a tight angle before Bayern doubled its lead in the fifth minute of stoppage-time at the end of the first half.
Goretzka found Davies with a measured pass and the full-back, cutting in from the left flank, drilled home from 25 yards with his weaker right foot.
Augsburg was not finished though and halved the deficit after 52 minutes when Kevin Mbabu sped down the right.
Mbabu delivered an accurate cross for top scorer Demirovic to guide his header beyond Neuer and into the bottom left-hand corner.
Kane restored Bayern’s two-goal cushion six minutes later, rolling home Jamal Musiala’s pass into an empty net.
The offside flag was initially raised, but the goal stood after VAR intervention with the final touch coming off an Augsburg defender.
Bayern almost increased the lead nine minutes from time when Leroy Sane released substitute Mathys Tel and the substitute struck the post.
There was drama to the end as Neuer saved Sven Michel’s penalty and Demirovic converted another spot-kick in the fourth minute of stoppage-time, but Bayern held on to make the short trip home with three precious points.
