'Worth the wait': Kane toasts Bundesliga win

MUNICH — Harry Kane said his first career team title was "worth the wait", after Bayern Munich was presented with the Bundesliga shield on Saturday.

Heading into the game as Champion, Bayern beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 at home, with Kane scoring the opener from a header after 31 minutes — his 25th league goal of the season.

Drenched with beer after being chased and doused by teammates on the Allianz Arena pitch, Kane told Sky Germany the trophy was "a long time coming".

"It's cold, but there's going to be a few more today for sure," a soaked Kane told reporters.

The 31-year-old had lost six finals in his career — three with former club Tottenham Hotspur, two with England and one with Bayern — as well as a second-placed league finish with Spurs.

The England captain finally tasted team success last week, when Bayern's closest title rival Bayer Leverkusen drew 2-2 at Freiburg.

However, it meant Kane was forced to wait six days before finally getting his hands on the trophy.

"It's an incredible feeling. It's worth the wait. It's been a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice in between, for moments like this — to enjoy it with the team, enjoy it with the fans. I'm loving every minute."

The forward said: "We're going to enjoy this for sure, but then, hopefully, this is just the first of many.

"We have a great team, a great coach, and, yeah, we feel like we're building, so we're looking forward to the challenge."

Kane also praised long-time England teammate Eric Dier, who will leave Bayern in the summer. The title win was also the first of Dier's career.

With Spurs through to the Europa League final, where they will face Manchester United, Kane wished his former club well.

"It's been a tough season (for them), but to reach the Europa League final is a great achievement," Kane said. "It's no easy feat to beat the teams that they've beaten, so full credit to them.

"I'll be watching, and hope they can win, and it could be a good month for a lot of Spurs fans, because I know a lot of them have reached out to me, and they're happy to see me win this title.

"And, of course, I think we'd all be happy to see Spurs win that in a couple of weeks."

Veteran midfielder Thomas Muller — who will leave Bayern after 25 years in the summer — went close to scoring, but had his shot saved in the 57th minute.

The former German international was subbed off with seven minutes remaining, hugging his teammates, as reserves and members of staff rushed to form a guard of honor. Muller won a record 13 Bundesliga and two Champions League titles at Bayern.

Speaking with Sky Germany, the 35-year-old said: "I can't really work it through in my mind at the moment," but said he was touched by the "75,000 hearts, which were beating just a little bit for me".

Kane said he was "proud" to have played alongside Muller, calling him "a legend in football and a legend at this club".

Bochum and Kiel relegated

RB Leipzig's top-four hopes were dashed with a goalless draw at Werder Bremen, while Holstein Kiel and Bochum were relegated from the Bundesliga after both fell to home defeats.

Leipzig had only missed the Champions League once in eight seasons since its promotion in 2017, but struggled against a Bremen side pushing for a return to Europe after a 15-year absence.

Leipzig's Xavi Simons went closest to scoring, hitting the post with 68 minutes gone, and forcing a save from Bremen goalie Michael Zetterer two minutes later.

"It's extremely disappointing," Leipzig's Christoph Baumgartner said. "It's matchday 33, and we didn't make it. There's no point sugarcoating it — we don't deserve the Champions League."

The result means Jurgen Klopp, the new head of global soccer at Leipzig owner Red Bull, will oversee his first off-season without the promise of the Champions League.

Leipzig now needs to beat Stuttgart in its final match to have any hope of reaching the Europa League, while Bremen's European hopes are now purely mathematical, given its poor goal difference.

Heidenheim's 3-0 win at Union Berlin on Saturday, thanks to a brace from Adrian Beck and a Jan Schoppner goal, secured at least a relegation playoff spot for the 16thplaced side.

Kiel, promoted to the top flight for the first time this season, needed to win to keep its hopes alive and scored first, but conceded twice to go down 2-1 to Freiburg.

Lasse Rosenboom's counterattacking opener was canceled out by a Johan Manzambi equalizer just before halftime.

Lucas Holer replaced Manzambi at the break, and scored early in the second period, heading in from close range to give Freiburg the lead.

The victory puts Freiburg in pole position to secure Champions League soccer for the first time.

Freiburg sits four points clear of Borussia Dortmund, which has two games to play.

Bochum's four-year stint in the Bundesliga came to an end after a 4-1 loss to Mainz, which saw Germany duo Nadiem Amiri and Jonathan Burkardt, along with Phillipp Mwene and Paul Nebel, all make the scoresheet.

Bochum, which had just two points in December, but kept its hopes alive with a run of good results including wins over Bayern Munich and Dortmund, picked up just two points from its last eight games.

Agencies