Late Harry Kane penalty bails out blundering Bayern Munich against bottom-of-the-table Mainz as 17-year-old sensation Lennart Karl shines again

The side propping up the Bundesliga set up to frustrate the league leaders, with Urs Fischer stationing his players deep in their own half. The hosts dominated possession and, despite Mainz threatening with a 15th-minute cross ricocheting and bouncing kindly off of Manuel Neuer’s crossbar, rained efforts down upon Daniel Batz’s goal.

The Mainz goalkeeper produced a string of superb stops from Kane, Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry before finally being beaten by Karl after 29 minutes. The teenage sensation turned home a low Gnabry cross from four yards out to continue his spectacular form and put Bayern ahead, much to the delight of a returning Thomas Muller in the stands. The 17-year-old was the bright spark again for a flat Bayern attack throughout the first half and deserved his goal. 

On the cusp of half-time, Mainz earned a free-kick and a way back into the game against the run of play. William Boving curled in the cross and found an unmarked Kacper Potulski, who could not miss his header from close range – confirmed eventually after a lengthy VAR check – as Bayern’s set-piece headaches continue.

Bayern continued to apply the pressure in the second half and Batz proved tough to beat again, with the goalkeeper smothering Gnabry in a one-on-one situation before Kane’s subsequent effort was blocked on the line by the Mainz defenders. The away side then broke up the pitch and Stefan Bell’s flat cross picked out Lee Jae-Sung, whose guided header found the far corner to give Mainz a shock 2-1 lead in the 67th minute.

With Bayern unusually staring down the barrel of defeat and Mainz clinging onto what would have been an extraordinary victory, Potulski tugged Kane’s shirt lazily and gave away an avoidable penalty in the 85th minute. The Englishman lifted himself off the turf to fire past Batz and level the game late on, but there was not enough time for the hosts to steal an undeserved three points.

Before Sunday’s game, Mainz were cut five adrift at the foot of the Bundesliga with just six points in 13 games and would have been expecting to be turned over by the Bundesliga champions. Yet, Daniel Batz had other ideas and kept out a flurry of shots from Bayern’s forwards. The goalkeeper can count himself unlucky not to be walking away from the Allianz Arena as a winner, with Kane’s late dagger from the spot undoing much of his earlier great work in thwarting the Englishman.

Up against the worst side in the division, Bayern boss Vincent Kompany took the gamble of rotating his side and was almost beaten his opposite number Fischer. The Belgian coach selected Kim Min-jae and Hiroki Ito over his usual central defensive pairing of Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano and it cost him two points. Kim jumped too early, missing a header, to gift Potulski his opener and then Stanisic and Laimer played Lee onside to hand the visitors their second. Kompany escapes with his undefeated record just about intact.