Bayern survive St. Pauli scare to stay on course for league title

Leroy Sane spared Bayern Munich's blushes with two second-half goals on Saturday, as the Bundesliga leaders beat relegation-threatened St. Pauli 3-2 to stay six points clear at the top of the table.

Having dropped unexpected points against Bochum and Union Berlin in recent weeks, Bayern were under pressure to avoid a third slip after reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen narrowed the gap to three points with a 3-1 win over Bochum on Friday. Yet they looked sluggish against a fearless St. Pauli side who almost took the lead early on when a Jackson Irvine header hit the bar.

The visitors handed Bayern the opener on a silver platter just two minutes later, when Siebe Van der Heyden was caught napping at left-back. Van der Heyden was robbed of possession by Jamal Musiala and Bayern swarmed into the box, allowing Harry Kane to sweep the ball in from close range. It was Kane's first goal against St. Pauli, meaning he has now scored against every team he has faced in the Bundesliga.

Unbowed, the visitors snatched a deserved equaliser just before the half-hour mark through Elias Saad. The Tunisian forward slipped under the radar in the Bayern box and tapped in a Manolis Saliakas cross to score his first goal since September.

Sane restored the lead after half-time, smashing the ball in unchallenged after a clever switch of play left him with acres of space on the left. He sealed the win 20 minutes from time, turning in a Kane cross from close range after a ruthless Bayern transition.

Yet Bayern still had to survive a nervy final few minutes after Lars Ritzka pulled one back for St. Pauli in added time. And there was more bad news for the Bavarians as defender Hiroki Ito was forced off in the final minutes, adding to a growing list of injury concerns.