Arizona Tribune - Lacklustre Bayern 'punished' in shock defeat, says Kane

League leaders Bayern had dropped just four of a possible 54 points so far this campaign and faced a struggling Augsburg who were dangling near the drop zone, having already sacked coach Sandro Wagner.

The hosts led thanks to a Hiroki Ito header but fell behind when Augsburg's Arthur Chaves and Han-Noah Massengo scored in quick succession.

It was just Bayern's second defeat of the season in all competitions and snapped a 27-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga, although they remain comfortably clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

England captain Kane said his side "would not make excuses" after the defeat, telling reporters "they (Augsburg) deserved to win it in the second half.

"We lacked a bit of energy. We weren't so fluid with the ball and credit to them, they put more pressure on us and made it difficult."

Kane said Bayern had "no time to sulk" and "would not let the defeat define our season".

Only Bayer Leverkusen, in 2023-24, have gone through an entire Bundesliga season without losing, but Kane said that mark of invincibility was never on his mind.

"I don't think it was ever even mentioned, especially not from the coach," Kane said.

"Our aim is to win the Bundesliga title. Of course, I know there's sometimes talk around that when you go a certain period of time without losing.

"But as we saw today, if you're not quite on it, if you're not quite 100 percent, you can be punished no matter who you play, whether you're home or away. It should be a learning curve for us."

Bayern have already secured progress to the last 16 in the Champions League but can lock up a top-two spot by avoiding defeat at PSV Eindhoven in their final league phase match on Wednesday.

W.Stewart--AT