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Agency Report
Berlin – A controversial Harry Kane penalty meant Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich returned from the mid-season break with a 1-0 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.
The victory also secured Bayern the so-called winter champions tag given they will lead at the halfway point of the season whatever happens in Wednesday’s home game with Hoffenheim.
Second-placed champions Bayer Leverkusen had won 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund on Friday to cut the gap, but the Bavarians re-established their four-point advantage with Kane’s 15th of the league season.
Michael Olise was adjudged to have been tripped by Lukas Ullrich, but the touch was minimal. The otherwise ineffectual Kane converted on 68 minutes and though the penalty was harsh on Gladbach, Bayern were the better side against their Bundesliga bogey team.
“If you give that as a penalty then there would be 24 in every game,” Gladbach striker Tim Kleindienst told Sky. “In the end we can in a sense be pleased even though we lost.”
Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich said the video assistant was right not to try to overturn Felix Zwayer’s penalty decision.
“In the game I thought it was clearly a penalty. He blows and (VAR) can’t then intervene,” he said.
Leon Goretzka and the excellent Thomas Müller missed big chances for a dominant Bayern in the first half, but Kleindienst headed over as Gladbach improved slightly after the break.
The leaders, whose sporting director Max Eberl was a long-time Gladbach functionary, had Manuel Neuer fit, Jamal Musiala out ill and Eric Dier replacing the banned Dayot Upamecano.
Marmoush goodbye present?
Omar Marmoush struck earlier to give Eintracht Frankfurt a 1-0 win at St Pauli after the club’s sporting director acknowledged a club have shown interest in the Egypt striker.
Markus Krösche did not confirm media reports it was English champions Manchester City but said they may sell “in extraordinary circumstances.”
If Marmoush is moving on, he has left the Eagles in third spot.
His goal just after the half hour had as much to do with bad defending as great attacking, but took him on to 14 league goals for the season.
In other early Saturday matches, new Union boss Steffen Baumgart endured another blow so early in his reign with a 2-0 loss at third-bottom Heidenheim.
Frans Krätzig scored 17 minutes into his debut after joining on loan from Bayern and it got worse for mid-table Union when Tim Rothe was sent off for a professional foul before half-time. Adrian Beck made it 2-0 late on as the hosts won in the league for the first time since September.
Union were already reeling from the German football federation’s decision to gift Bochum a 2-0 victory after their goalkeeper was hit by a lighter thrown by a Union fan in a 1-1 draw late last year.
Union president Dirk Zingler, who is appealing Thursday’s decision, said before kick-off: “This ruling is a scandal.”
Bochum, still bottom whether the Union points count or not, lost 2-0 at fourth-placed Mainz as fit-again Jonathan Burkardt made the difference with both goals.
Freiburg – in sixth – won 3-2 at home to second-bottom Holstein Kiel and Wolfsburg prevailed 1-0 at hapless Hoffenheim.
By Mark Meadows
