Bundesliga: Kane back, Bayern too: “Benchmark” for 2025

In the end, Bayern quietly enjoyed their pre-Christmas goal gift in the top game with best regards to their title rivals for champions Leverkusen. The Munich bosses had already decided during the table leaders’ 5:1 (3:1) win against RB Leipzig to forego the Christmas ceremony planned after the final whistle with a light show, Christmas trees and Tölzer boys’ choir because of the terrible events in Magdeburg, like CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen explained.

“This ceremony should be a happy one – and that doesn’t fit at this moment,” said Dreesen. In memory of the victims of the attack that left several dead at a Christmas market in Saxony-Anhalt, only “Silent Night, Holy Night” was sung in the Allianz Arena.

Kompany wishes for “victories for peace”

The sporting significance and effects of Bayern’s runaway victory faded into the background after the last game in 2024. Vincent Kompany spoke remarkable words in the press conference: “We won today, but I wish for victories for peace next year. That’s on my mind now,” said the 38-year-old Belgian.

For once, his greatest wish for 2025 did not revolve around football, tactics, injuries, transfers, contract extensions and titles: “The priority is simply to have peace everywhere at some point, not just in Germany.”

RB coach Marco Rose made a similar statement: “Yes, we played football! Yes, we lost clearly and deservedly!” But the terrible news from Magdeburg, just a good hour’s drive from Leipzig, “made everything appear in a different light,” Rose said that evening.

The sporting things were an impressive message from a Munich team that found their offensive power, their self-image, their clarity in the game with the comeback of striker Harry Kane, which resulted in a strong reaction to the first league defeat in Mainz (1:2). resulted.

“This is the benchmark for all games”

“This is the benchmark for all games,” said leader Kane. The Englishman set the bar very high for the 2025 Christmas champion: “It was a great way to end the year. We have to take that with us.”

Stay ahead, become champions – that is the minimum requirement for the months after the short vacation. Training will resume on January 2nd. “It was a good finish to the first half of the season,” summarized Joshua Kimmich.

At the end of the year, the substitute captain sent a goal signal to the Bayern bosses in the ongoing contract negotiations with a wonderful long-range shot, as did his national team colleagues Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sané as well as Alphonso Davies. Konrad Laimer scored goal number five. “So you can go on your winter break and enjoy the days,” said the Austrian, who had become a father for the first time the day before.

Goal signals from Kimmich and Co.

Kane did not score on his return three weeks after suffering a hamstring injury. But Kimmich emphasized the value of the center forward “for our offensive game” all the more. Although Kane is a number nine and therefore keen on goals, as an attacker the Englishman is always concerned with “setting the scene for his teammates”. Bayern’s offensive game had more structure again.

Kane was pleased that they had “put pressure on the competition” against an astonishingly defenseless Leipzig team, who were only able to fight back to make it 1-1 thanks to Benjamin Sesko in the turbulent first 103 seconds of the game. He was happy to be back on the pitch. “It’s hard to watch from the outside.”

Immediately after the last victory in 2024, the professionals went on vacation. Kane is heading “out into the sun” with his wife and children. It’s been a strenuous year with a lot of games,” he said: “It’s now about recovering as well as possible in order to be ready for all competitions in the new year .”