When Harry Kane scored Bayern Munich's sixth goal against Leipzig in the first game of the Bundesliga season, it seemed almost as if the title race could be over before anyone else had played a game.
Not so fast.
Bayern needed a late Kane header to claim a shaky 3-2 win at third-division Wehen Wiesbaden in the German Cup on Wednesday which showed Bayern can still be rattled by a determined opponent with well-timed counterattacks.
It wasn't a weakened Bayern team, either. Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Díaz all played the full 90 minutes.
Key matchups
— Bayern visits Bavarian rival Augsburg on Saturday for a reunion with former player-turned-coach Sandro Wagner. He had a good start in his first head coach job with a 3-1 win at Freiburg last weekend.
— Most of Bayern's potential title rivals struggled last week, all except for Eintracht Frankfurt, which swept aside Werder Bremen 4-1 in its first league game since Hugo Ekitiké left for Liverpool. Next up is Hoffenheim away on Saturday.
— Promoted Hamburger SV hosts St. Pauli on Friday for what’s sure to be a heated city derby. Hamburg's promotion means it's the first time the two cross-city rivals have played in the top flight since 2011.
Players to watch
— Former Real Madrid right back Lucas Vázquez could make his debut for Bayer Leverkusen, which needs a win at Werder Bremen to bounce back from a loss in coach Erik ten Hag's first league game last week. Vázquez hasn't played for a team other than Madrid in 10 years.
— Carney Chukwuemeka is back at Borussia Dortmund after completing a permanent transfer following his loan from Chelsea last season. Dortmund faces Union Berlin on Sunday.
Who’s out
— Dortmund defenders Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Süle and Emre Can are all injured and stand-in defender Filippo Mané is suspended following his sending off last week, leaving coach Niko Kovač short of options at the back for Union's visit.
— Stuttgart needed penalties to get past Eintracht Braunschweig as it began its German Cup title defense on Tuesday, without defender Luca Jaquez after he broke his nose in a loss at Union Berlin last week. Jeff Chabot and Ameen Al-Dakhil are also out. Stuttgart hosts Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
Off the field
— Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham will want to make amends for his disappointing Bundesliga debut, especially after his father caused a furor by speaking with sports director Sebastian Kehl outside the locker room afterward.
— Dortmund coach Kovac got a one-year contract extension this week. It's recognition of the turnaround since he took over in February with the team in 11th.
— A disputed Bundesliga goal brought a change to soccer regulations this week. Leipzig had a goal initially given against Bayern even though Castello Lukeba dribbled with the ball while taking an earlier free kick. The referee ruled it out on video review, but it turned out VAR rules shouldn't have allowed a review of how the play restarted. The International Football Association Board will allow VAR to intervene in the future, the German soccer federation says.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
James Ellingworth And Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press
