MUNICH: Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich eased past Mainz 05 3-0 on Saturday but had to put title celebrations on ice after Bayer Leverkusen matched their win to stay eight points behind with three matches left to play.
The Bavarians, who top the standings with 75 points ahead of reigning champions Leverkusen, can secure a 34th German league title with a win at RB Leipzig next week.
But they will have to do it without Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane, with the England striker desperate to clinch the first trophy of his career for club or country, as he will be suspended after picking up a fifth booking and a suspension.
“It’s not ideal but we won,” said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany of Kane’s yellow card. “But it is not like a final (next week).”
“We will play 34 games this season and I think (injured) guys like Jamal (Musiala), Alphonso (Davies), Dayot Upamecano and (Hiroki) Ito also have to celebrate the title,” he said
“Every title you have to celebrate it like it’s your first so I don’t think it will make much of a difference for Harry.”
“It doesn’t take away a single percent of his contribution this season.”
With 24 league goals this term, the 31-year-old England captain looks set to become the first player to be crowned the league’s top scorer in each of his first two Bundesliga seasons.
“Crazy, crazy decision,” said Kane. “It’s kind of my story that I’ll miss the Leipzig game. But no worries, I’ll celebrate more than anyone else.”
Mainz dropped to seventh place and outside the European qualifying places.
With Mainz briefly down to 10 players due to the injury of Anthony Caci, Leroy Sane made the most of the extra man, firing in after a quick combination in the box with Serge Gnabry to give Bayern a 28th-minute lead.
The Bundesliga leaders, who last week were eliminated by Inter Milan in the Champions League last eight, doubled it with Michael Olize’s solo effort and superb finish from a tight angle five minutes before the break.
Sane, who is in talks with the club over a contract extension, twice hit the woodwork in the second half before Eric Dier headed home their third goal in the 84th.
Thomas Mueller came on late in the second half to make his 500th league appearance for Bayern, with the 35-year-old leaving at the end of the season after 25 years at the club.
He is only the fourth player to reach that mark in the Bundesliga featuring for one club after Charly Koerbel (602 games for Eintracht Frankfurt), Manfred Kaltz (581 matches for Hamburg SV) and Michael Lameck (518 for VfL Bochum).