The Result Under The Result
Harry Kane's remarkable penalty conversion streak in the Bundesliga has ended at 24 after the Bayern Munich striker missed a spot kick for the first time on Saturday against Wolfsburg.
Kane stepped up to the penalty spot at 0-0 after teammate Michael Olise was fouled by defender Konstantinos Koulierakis. The striker seemed to slip slightly as he approached the ball and his shot went wide of the right-hand post.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
Bayern still secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a spectacular curling goal from Olise that struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced in. 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 successful conversions coming this season alone. Across all competitions, the striker has failed to convert three penalties this season, including one saved by Wehen Wiesbaden's Florian Stritzel in the German Cup and another that struck the crossbar against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League.
The Useful Context
Wolfsburg remains 16th and in danger of relegation. The club has not played outside the top division since 1997. American midfielder Kevin Paredes and Algerian striker Mohamed Amoura were absent from the squad for disciplinary reasons, according to the team.
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 path to survival is finishing 16th and reaching 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 remaining and could yet overhaul both Wolfsburg and St. Pauli.
In other Bundesliga action, Leipzig secured a Champions League return with a 2-1 win over St. Pauli, confirming third place. Xaver Schlager bundled in a loose ball just before halftime and Willi Orban headed in shortly after the break. St. Pauli pulled one back through Abdoulie Ceesay's 86th-minute goal.
The Part Still Unclear
Stuttgart moved closer to a Champions League spot with a 3-1 comeback win over Bayer Leverkusen. Deniz Undav's 19th league goal capped the victory, leaving Stuttgart in fourth place.
Hoffenheim climbed to fifth with a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen, made easier when Bremen's Yukinari Sugawara received a red card in the fifth minute for a reckless challenge. Bazoumana Toure scored the only goal.
Augsburgboosted its Conference League hopes with a 3-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach. American midfielder scored for Gladbach in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.