MUNICH: Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane struck once in each half to steer Bayern Munich to a 3-0 victory over fourth-placed VfB Stuttgart on Sunday and leave them four points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen with a game in hand.

The England captain, the league’s all-time record signing after his 100 million euro ($108.94-million) move from Tottenham Hotspur this season, has scored 20 times in his 14 league games.

Kane is only the third player in the league’s history to reach that mark by or before the halfway stage and required also the fewest-ever Bundesliga appearances to score 20 times.

Meanwhile, Bayern have netted in a league record-equalling 64th straight Bundesliga home game, matching their 1970-74 run.

Despite a string of injuries and the last-minute absences through illness of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, Bayern bagged the three points and now have 35. Leverkusen are on 39 after a 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt earlier on Sunday.

“It was probably our best performance of the season so far,” Kane said. “We wanted to be dominant. We knew how dangerous they were and we limited them to just a few chances. It was great to score twice and help the team.”

Bayern were desperate to bounce back from last week’s shock 5-1 loss to Frankfurt and they needed just two minutes to score, with Kane tapping in from a Leroy Sane pass.

The Bavarians had the upper hand throughout and missed a bagful of chances with Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel kept busy and the visitors struggling with their top scorer Serhou Guirassy, who has 16 league goals, largely contained.

Kane doubled Bayern’s lead in the 55th after being left unmarked to head home following a cross from youngster Aleksandar Pavlovic and an assist from Kim Min-jae.

Eight minutes later they struck again with man-of-the-match Kim Min-jae’s deflected header wrongfooting Nuebel and killing off any hopes of a Stuttgart comeback in Bayern’s last home game of the year.

Earlier, Nigeria striker Victor Boniface scored and laid on two assists as Leverkusen beat Frankfurt, continuing his side’s hopes of a maiden Bundesliga title.

Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten Leverkusen have won 21 and drawn three of 24 matches in all competitions this season.

Boniface squeezed a low shot under Kevin Trapp to open the scoring 14 minutes in.

The Nigerian then created Jere­mie Frimpong’s goal early in the second half, his shot rebounding off Trapp and landing perfectly for the Dutch international to slam home.

The 22-year-old, who is almost certain to be selected for Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations bid in January, then helped seal the result, finding Florian Wirtz in space for Leverkusen’s third.

Frankfurt have won just one of their past eight matches in all competitions — last Saturday’s surprising 5-1 home thrashing of Bayern.

Elsewhere, Freiburg’s Mic­hael Gregoritsch and Roland Sallai came off the bench to secure a 2-0 home win over 10-man Cologne.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2023