Harry Kane's extra-time goal for Bayern Munich on Wednesday was no more than a consolation goal, but it could actually have much greater significance for the Bundesliga.
The England captain scored in the 94th minute to secure a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, but it was the Ligue 1 side that progressed to the Champions League final with a 6-5 aggregate score.
This draw could be decisive in the race to secure one of the two "European Performance Spots (EPS)", additional places in the Champions League, which are allocated according to each country's overall performance in European competitions.
The Premier League is already well ahead and has secured one of these places since a month ago. But the battle for second place is very close between the Bundesliga and La Liga.
Kane's goal gave Germany 0.142 points in the European coefficient. Although it may seem small, in such a close competition it could be decisive.
La Liga (21,781) is in second place ahead of the second legs of the Europa League and Conference League semi-finals on Thursday. The Bundesliga (21,357) is just 0.424 points behind, in practice that's the difference between a win and a draw.
On Thursday, each league has only one team remaining: SC Freiburg for Germany and Rayo Vallecano for Spain.
Freiburg must overturn a 2-1 deficit against Braga, while Rayo Vallecano goes 1-0 up against Strasbourg.
Here's how Kane's goal could affect the decision:
If Freiburg advances to the final, Germany earns 0.428 additional points.
If Rayo Vallecano is eliminated, La Liga gets no points and cannot surpass the Bundesliga
In this scenario, Germany would secure second place with only 0.00446 points difference.
Without Kane's goal, Germany would be 0.13889 points behind Spain
There are other scenarios:
If Rayo Vallecano goes through, Spain secures the extra place regardless of Freiburg's result
If both teams are eliminated, Spain gets the extra spot.
If both advance and Rayo draw, the decision is postponed until the final.
In Germany, there is also a race for fourth place between three teams: Bayer Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart and TSG Hoffenheim, all on 58 points with two games remaining. Without EPS, only one of them would qualify for the Champions League.
In La Liga, the situation is clearer: Real Betis is fifth, six points ahead of Celta Vigo with four games to go.
