MUNICH: Bayern Munich veteran Thomas Mueller scored on the day he became the German giants’ all-time record appearance maker in a 2-0 Bundesliga home win over Freiburg on Sunday. Mueller, in his 710th match for Bayern, came off the bench in the 59th minute with the hosts leading 1-0 thanks to a first-half penalty from Harry Kane.

With 12 minutes remaining, Mueller collected a Serge Gnabry pass on the turn and blasted in, the ball skipping off the ground and past Freiburg goalkeeper Florian Mueller. Mueller, who played his first game for the club in 2008, moved past former goalkeeper Sepp Maier to outright first on the appearance list in all competitions. “Records don’t matter that much to me... more important is that today I could score a pretty nice goal - one which was technically outstanding,” the veteran said with a smile.

Kane had converted a 38th-minute penalty to give Bayern the lead after a VAR review showed the ball hit the arm of an unsighted Freiburg captain Christian Guenter. Guenter told DAZN his side were brought down by “an insane penalty, really an insane penalty”. “When you jump, of course your arms go up - if that’s handball, I’ll stop playing because it’s nonsense. Maybe the German FA can start teaching us to jump without our arms.” Kane’s goal was his first so far this league season, with the England captain receiving an award for topping the Bundesliga goalscoring charts with 36 last season.

In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Joao Palhinha gave away a penalty for handball on his Bundesliga debut for Bayern, but Freiburg’s Lucas Hoeler fired the spot-kick over the crossbar. After the match, Mueller climbed into the stands to celebrate with the club’s ultras, giving away both his boots. “I told them they need to work hard this year because they’ll need extra vacation days - we’ve got a lot ahead of us this year,” Mueller said.

The win continued Vincent Kompany’s perfect record in charge of Bayern, having won three from three in all competitions to start the season. Kompany, who was on the opposite side playing for Hamburg when Mueller made his Bundesliga debut in 2008, praised the “incredible” Mueller. “I experienced his first match - I was on the pitch with Hamburg at the time. 710 later, it’s unbelievable,” said the Belgian. “He gave 100 percent in every one of those games but also does so in training, which is what makes Thomas so special.” Freiburg have never won at Bayern in the league, a run of 25 games dating back to 1993.

Heidenheim go top

Teenage Bayern loanee Paul Wanner scored a penalty and set up a goal as Heidenheim thrashed Augsburg 4-0. The 18-year-old forward, who has three goals in three games in all competitions this season, stepped up to score a penalty after nine minutes, becoming the youngest player to convert a spot-kick in Bundesliga history. Wanner created a goal for Adrian Beck, while Leo Scienza and Maximilian Breunig also got on the scoresheet in the dominant home win. Heidenheim, promoted to the top division for the first time ahead of last season, will host Premier League side Chelsea in the Conference League in November as part of their debut European campaign.

Wanner played a key role in Thursday’s Conference League play-off win over Swedish side Hacken, scoring a goal and laying on an assist. The victory sent Heidenheim, who won their opener at promoted St Pauli, to the top of the table at the end of the round for the first time in their history. Heidenheim are ahead of RB Leipzig and Bayern on goal difference, making the trio the only clubs to have won their two opening fixtures. Leipzig on Saturday won 3-2 at Bayer Leverkusen which was the German champions’ first league loss in 35 matches dating back to May 2023. — AFP