da brwin： Harry Kane is "hurt" after suffering a crushing 3-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen as Bayern Munich's title hopes take a beating.

da realbet： Article continues below

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Kane drew blank against LeverkusenStruggled to make an impact against a well-drilled defenceUrged his team-mates to focus after away lossGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The match presented Bayern with an opportunity to close the gap on league leaders Leverkusen but instead saw Josip Stanisic, on loan from the Bavarians, strike first for his side in the 18th minute. The hosts extended their lead with goals from Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong to extend their unbeaten record for the season and establish a five-point lead over Bayern.

Kane acknowledged Bayern's shortcomings in the match, particularly in ball possession and one-on-one battles, and went on to urge his team-mates to focus and regroup as quickly as possible.

AdvertisementWHAT KANE SAID

Speaking to after the match, Kane said: "We didn’t play well with the ball. I thought the pressure, especially in the first half and even in the second half, we pressed them well, but every time we won it back we gave it straight back to them. That allowed them to build momentum.

"In the final third we weren’t good in one-vs-one battles, we weren’t good in duels, the final delivery wasn’t there today, so a really disappointing day with the ball. We’re five points behind now but there are still a lot of games to go. This one hurts, we wanted a different outcome, but we have to focus on, first, the Champions League, and obviously the next game. There are a lot of games to be played and we have to try and make up as many points as we can, as quickly as we can."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite the thrashing from Leverkusen, Kane remains optimistic about Bayern's title hopes and insisted that they have the potential to bounce back if they focus on their frailties as games keep coming thick and fast.

When asked if Leverkusen were favourites after this win, he said: "That’s not for us to decide. That’s for everyone else to decide. For us, we have to focus on ourselves, we have to improve, we have to get better. We know that. The games are coming thick and fast so we have to turn it around quick."

GettyWHAT NEXT?

The defeat serves as a wake-up call for Bayern Munich, prompting them to reassess their strategy and approach as they continue their pursuit of success in both domestic and European competitions. They have plenty left to play in February as they next face a tricky trip to Lazio for the first leg in the round of 16 of the Champions League followed by another away assignment in the league to Vfl Bochum. They will play their final match of this month against RB Leipzig at home on the 24th.