Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane saw his remarkable penalty conversion streak in the Bundesliga end at 24 matches after missing a spot kick for the first time on Saturday, while Leipzig secured a return to the Champions League.
Kane stepped up to the penalty spot at 0-0 against Wolfsburg after teammate Michael Olise was fouled by defender Konstantinos Koulierakis. Kane seemed to slip slightly as he approached the ball and his shot went wide of the right-hand post.
Bayern still secured a 1-0 win in its second-to-last Bundesliga game of the season. The decisive goal came from a spectacular curling effort by Olise that struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net. Wolfsburg's Mattias Svanberg hit the bar in the 89th minute with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Kane hadn't missed a penalty in the Bundesliga since joining Bayern in 2023, with 10 of his 24 scored this season alone. Across all competitions, Kane has failed to convert three penalties for Bayern this season: one was saved by third-division Wehen Wiesbaden's Florian Stritzel in the German Cup, and another hit the crossbar against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League.
Leipzig Secures Champions League Return
Leipzig survived a late scare tosecure a Champions League return and a 2-1 win over St. Pauli made sure of third place in the Bundesliga.
Leipzig was leading 2-0 with both goals from corners. Xaver Schlager bundled in a loose ball just before halftime, and Willi Orban headed in shortly after the break. Relegation-threatened St. Pauli showed late signs of life through Abdoulie Ceesay's 86th-minute goal off an unusual long-range header assist by Jackson Irvine.
It marks a much better season for Leipzig after placing seventh last year, its worst top-flight finish, and also losing seven of eight Champions League games.
Stuttgart Nears Champions League Spot
Deniz Undav's 19th league goal of the season capped a 3-1 comeback win for Stuttgart over Bayer Leverkusen, leaving Stuttgart in the fourth Champions League spot.
Leverkusen stunned with Aleix Garcia's goal 34 seconds into the game on the counter, but Ermedin Demirovic leveled for Stuttgart in the fifth minute and won a penalty that Maximilian Mittelstädt converted to take the lead just before halftime. Undav, the second highest scorer in the league after Kane, added a third off Jamie Leweling's cross.
Leverkusen was sixth with only a slim chance of a Champions League spot.
Hoffenheim Stays in European Contention
Hoffenheim was level on points with Stuttgart in fifth after its 1-0 win over Werder Bremen. The match was made easier by a fifth-minute red card for Bremen's Yukinari Sugawara for a reckless studs-up challenge. Bazoumana Toure scored the only goal from a quickly taken corner.
Augsburg Boosts Conference League Hopes
Augsburg was ninth after a 3-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach, boosting its hopes of reaching next season's Conference League.
Relegation Battle Intensifies
Wolfsburg stayed 16th and in danger of relegation. The club last played outside the top division in 1997. American midfielder Kevin Paredes and Algerian striker Mohamed El Amoura were "not in the squad for disciplinary reasons," Wolfsburg said without giving further details.
The bottom three teams—Wolfsburg, St. Pauli, and Heidenheim—are battling to avoid ending next week in the bottom two and being relegated. Their only chance is to finish 16th and reach a promotion-relegation playoff against a second-division team.
Wolfsburg visits 17th-placed St. Pauli next Saturday in the final round of regular season games. Wolfsburg will be relegated with a loss but could survive with a draw. St. Pauli must win.
Last-placed Heidenheim has two games to play and could yet overhaul both Wolfsburg and St. Pauli but needs to avoid defeat against Cologne on Sunday first.
St. Pauli was 17th in the 18-team league following its ninth winless game in a row.