Kane scores hat-trick against Dortmund in 4-0 win
Harry Kane, the England captain and Bayern Munich striker, has been unstoppable in the Bundesliga this season. He scored a hat-trick for the second consecutive week on Saturday, this time in a 4-0 away demolition of supposed rivals Borussia Dortmund. The former Tottenham Hotspur star now has 15 goals in 10 league games, only one behind last season’s joint top scorers in the top flight. Kane’s first goal came from a penalty in the 18th minute, after he was fouled by Mats Hummels. He doubled his tally in the 36th minute, finishing off a swift counter-attack with a low shot past Gregor Kobel. He completed his hat-trick in the 63rd minute, heading in a cross from Leroy Sane. Kane has now scored three hat-tricks this season, the most by any player in Europe’s top five leagues.
Bayern dominate Dortmund in Klassiker
Bayern Munich showed their superiority over Borussia Dortmund in the Klassiker, the biggest game in German football. The defending champions controlled the game from start to finish, with 60% possession and 18 shots to Dortmund’s six. Dortmund, who were second in the table before the match, failed to trouble Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal, and looked vulnerable at the back. Bayern’s fourth goal came from Kingsley Coman in the 77th minute, after a clever pass from Thomas Muller. The result extended Bayern’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga to seven points, while Dortmund dropped to fourth place, 10 points behind the leaders.
Tuchel praises Kane and Bayern system
Thomas Tuchel, the Bayern Munich coach, praised Harry Kane and his team’s performance after the match. He said that Kane was a “world-class” striker who fitted perfectly into his system. “He is a complete player, he can score with both feet, with his head, he can create chances, he can press, he can defend. He is a leader on and off the pitch. He is the perfect fit for us,” Tuchel said. He also said that his team played with “intensity, quality and hunger” and that he was very happy with the result and the display. “We wanted to make a statement today, to show that we are the best team in Germany and one of the best in Europe. We did that with a great performance,” he said.
Dortmund admit defeat in title race
Borussia Dortmund admitted that they had no chance of catching Bayern Munich in the title race after the heavy defeat. Marco Reus, the Dortmund captain, said that his team were “not on the same level” as Bayern and that they had to accept the reality. “We have to be honest, we are not in the same league as Bayern. They are too strong, too consistent, too ruthless. We have to admit that they are the better team and that we have no chance of winning the title,” Reus said. He also said that his team were “disappointed and angry” with their performance and that they had to improve quickly. “We have to analyse what went wrong today, we have to learn from our mistakes, we have to work harder and we have to bounce back. We have to show our character and our quality in the next games,” he said.
Kane looks set to break Lewandowski’s record
Harry Kane’s incredible goal-scoring run has put him on course to break Robert Lewandowski’s record of 41 goals in a single Bundesliga season. The Polish striker set the record last season, breaking Gerd Muller’s 49-year-old mark of 40 goals. Kane, who joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur for a reported fee of 150 million euros in the summer, has already scored 15 goals in 10 games, averaging 1.5 goals per game. If he maintains this rate, he will finish the season with 51 goals, 10 more than Lewandowski’s record. Kane has also scored six goals in four Champions League games, making him the top scorer in Europe’s elite competition. He will face his former club Tottenham in the next round of the Champions League, after Bayern topped their group with four wins out of four.